Nothing but dreams
by Moonlightrose1992
Summary: She keeps telling herself that she hates him with every fiber in her body. But when she starts to lose her focus and her mind drifts off...her dreams tell her otherwise
1. Chapter 1

_**Here we go the first chapter**_

_**A special thanks to Grania1992 for agreeing to beta this story ( if you got the time...check out her new story 'A race for love') And to my sister for giving her opinion and reading this chapter over and over again  
Enjoy the story ! And let me know what you think :)  
All characters belong to JK Rowling.**_

˜ Chapter One˜

One year ago, she couldn't have imagined standing here again.  
When someone had told her that she would be walking platform again, she would have shaken her head in disbelieve and let her tears run freely.

Because one year ago, she was fighting alongside her friends against the most dangerous and darkest wizard, who ever walked the grounds of the magical world.

And she had lost almost all hope when she saw people, she knew and loved, die around her.

But it also had given them a newfound strength, they had fought for the ones, who lost their lives during the battle while protecting others, they had fought for all the innocent that was lost.

They had fought for the good.  
And they had succeeded.

Harry had defeated the Dark Lord, putting an end to his reign of terror.

That day had been marked as the darkest for all magical creatures. Many lives had been lost, many families had been ripped apart.

But it had also been a day of hope.

And know she was standing on platform , ready for a new beginning.

Hermione closed her eyes as she felt the cool September breeze caress her cheeks.

A smile spread across her features as she remembered that this year would be different.  
Everything was about to change and she would welcome all the changes with open arms.  
Hermione took one last deep breath before she opened her eyes again.

She saw students walking passed her; smiling, talking. In the corners, a few students were trooped together. Hermione assumed they were first years because some of them were holding their mothers hand firmly, their eyes flickering through the scenery before them, they looked a little bit scared...curious. Others were crying softly while their fathers were trying to comfort them.

Hermione remembered the first time she was standing on the platform. Although she had wanted nothing more than to go to Hogwarts when the day had finally arrived; she had hugged her mother so tightly that her father had to pull her off.

Hermione chuckled softly at the memory when a loud voice brought her back to reality.

" Hermione !"

She looked up, trying to find the person who was calling her.

In the distant, she saw a familiar red-haired boy waving at her, grinning wildly.

" Mione, over here !" he yelled.

Hermione waved back enthusiastically, matching his grin.

And without wasting any more time she rushed over until she was standing right in front of him.

She smiled as she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.  
The mere touch of his skin, brought back the memory of last summer.

_Hermione was sitting on her bed._

The room was dark and it was a little bit cold for a summer day, but she didn't care.

Outside Fred, George, Ginny and Harry were playing a game of quidditch. They were quite enjoying themselves, but she didn't hear their laughs.

The burrow had never felt so different before.

Hermione only had eyes for the letter she was holding in her hands. A part of her wished she had never found it.

" Hermione ?"

She looked up, seeing Ron standing a few feet away from her. His gaze was focused on something on the ground.

She didn't reply, she just waited for him to continue.

" We need to talk." He finally managed to say.

He didn't look at her.

Hermione took a deep breath, she knew she had to say something.

" Yes, I think we do." She whispered, showing the letter.

This time Ron finally looked at her hand, his face turning bright pink as he saw what she was holding in her hand.  
" You found it."

She only nodded.

" I'm so sorry Mione, it was never my intention to hurt you. At first it was just a harmless conversation between friends, Lavender wrote me a few weeks ago because she kept thinking about what happened to her, to everyone. She said she was having nightmares, she couldn't sleep anymore. I didn't want to write back actually but mother told me I was being insensitive.  
And then ...I don't know... something changed." He stuttered, running his hands through his hair nervously.

Hermione stared at him for a while before she spoke.

" I'm not angry Ron."

That seemed to catch him by surprise " You're not ?"

" No," she answered, shaking her head. Her eyes followed him as he went to sit next to her " this was bound to happen."

" What ? Me and Lavender ? Well I have to say I'm a little surprised it happened."

Hermione shook her head again. " I mean us. I think I always knew this wasn't meant to be. I love you but it's more like a sister loves her brother, don't get me wrong I wanted this to work. But you can't force something that isn't there."

Ron sighed, letting his shoulders hang a little " For the first time, I'm not going to argue with you...So what are we going to do now ?"

" Well, first we are going to tell everyone that we decided that it's best for us to be friends. And then I'm going to visit my parents for a while."

" You don't have to leave, Hermione."

" I know that but I think it's better that way. Besides I think my parents are still a little bit angry that I took their memories of me away." She smiled.

Ron nodded, he knew he couldn't convince her to stay.  
They sat in silence for a while.

" Hermione ?"

" Yes ?"

" I really am sorry."

" I know you are."

" Glad to see you too." Harry chuckled as he watched the scenery before him.  
In a quick moment, Hermione released Ron and wrapped her arms around the black haired boy.

" Sorry Harry, I didn't see you." She smiled, hugging him closely before she let go.  
Hermione looked around, expecting to see the whole Weasley family but she frowned when she didn't see them.

" Ginny is talking to Luna and Neville." Harry explained when he saw her confused look.

" And Molly and Arthur, aren't they here ?"

" No, they decided to skip the going-back-to-school goodbyes. They are visiting Charlie for a few weeks." Ron answered, not really bothered that his parents weren't there.

" Well they deserve a little vacation." Hermione nodded in agreement.

" Speaking of vacation. How was the rest of your summer?" Harry asked curiously.

" Oh Harry, it was incredible. I almost saw the whole world. My parents took me to Australia, America and China. I had a wonderful time and learned so much.  
But I have to say I'm glad to be home again. I can't wait to step on that train and go back to Hogwarts. I missed it." Her whole face lightened up when she spoke.

" Blimey, you missed school ? Always the crazy one." Ron commented, rolling his eyes a little.

" Funny Ron-" she smiled sweetly before she continued " so what did you do then ?"

" I spent some brotherly time with Fred and George. I offered to help them in their shop."

" And how was it ?"

" They bribed me with this...so I had to promise that I would never help again." Ron laughed as he was holding up a little telescope.

Harry and Hermione stared at his hand " They gave you a punching telescope ?"

Hermione flinched a little at the word, remembering all too well what happened when she first saw the black telescope.

" I hope you aren't going to use that on school grounds."

The proud look on Ron's disappeared immediately when he turned his attention to Hermione.

" I don't see why it's your business if or when I use it."

" Since this year, it is my business." She huffed while pointing at her chest, where a new badge was pinned on.

" Head Girl ? I can't say I'm surprised about that." Ron mumbled as he read the description on the golden badge.

"Congratulations Mione." Harry smiled, nudging his friend to act a little more interested.

" So who is Head Boy ?"

" I don't know yet. I thought it would be Harry but apparently not." She shrugged as response.

" And I am really happy about that." Harry joked.

" I will find out this evening who it is." She grinned.

The conversation was being interrupted by a whistling sound coming from the Hogwarts Express.

" The train is ready to leave."

" And so are we."

The boys made their way to the doors, lifting their luggage inside but Hermione stayed behind. She looked at her surrounding one last time, taking everything in.

" Goodbye…until next summer." She whispered softly.

And with the last whistling sound, she disappeared through the train doors.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Here we go chapter 2 of Nothing but dreams !  
I would like to thank everyone who put this story on alert or added it as favourite ! And also a big THANK YOU for those who reviewed chapter one.**_

_**Now enough rambling...  
**_

_**enjoy !  
**_

˜ Chapter Two ˜

Hermione was making her last round through the Hogwarts Express, making sure that all students had left the train.

She collected a few things that were left behind and handed it over to Hagrid on her way out.

" Looks like a few students will receive a Remembrall for Christmas" he grinned as he took everything out of Hermione's hands.

" I think so too, Hagrid." she smiled at him.

Hagrid continued talking as he walked her to the carriages but she wasn't really paying attention anymore, her eyes kept scanning the area. She didn't see the new head boy at all and it was his duty to inspect the train with her.

' Nice way to show responsibility' she thought as she shook her head a little.

" Yer carriage awaits, Hermione" Hagrid's loud voice burst through her thoughts. When she looked up, she saw he had reached out his hand which she gladly accepted and with one swift movement she was lifted into carriage.

" Thank you." Hermione smiled and waved as Hagrid walked off to join the first year students.

" So how was your first assignment as head girl ?" Harry asked

" Quiet boring actually." She sighed as she let her head rest against the seats.

" What ? No students to rebuke ?"

" No Ronald, no students to rebuke." She replied shortly.

" It was just a question, you don't need to be so snarky." Ron huffed as he crossed his arms.

They all felt the mood changing as they watched the two of them bickering. Hermione's eyes were glowing with anger, she opened her mouth ready to give him an answer when Ginny quickly interfered.

" And did you see your mystery Head Boy ?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Hermione shook her head and frowned.

" No, I didn't see him."

" You didn't ? How can that be ?"

" I don't know actually. He was supposed to help me during my round but he didn't show up." She shrugged.

"I see. You are partnered up with someone who is rather lazy than to help you with one simple task." Harry skipped in, raising his eyebrow.

" If they wanted someone like that, they could have asked Ron. He would have been brilliant in being lazy." Ginny laughed, causing Ron to growl at her.

" Not funny…" he scowled

" I thought it was amusing. You can't deny that it would be your ideal job." Ginny continued.

" Don't push it."

" Oh Ron, lighten up will you ? It was only a joke."

" Do you see me laughing, Ginny ?"

She rolled her eyes at her brother, choosing not to start an argument with him.

They remained silent during the rest of the ride.

* * *

When they walked through the black gates of Hogwarts, Hermione stopped, spreading her arms so no one could walk passed her. She looked at her friends with a determined look in her eyes.

" Mione ?" Harry questioned, looking at Ginny to see if she knew what Hermione was doing but she only shrugged.

" I'm not moving until we stop this." Hermione hissed.

" Stop what ?"

" This fighting Harry. We barely arrived and look at us already. It's ridiculous."

" It's not the first time we have had little arguments, it's normal." Ron commented.

Hermione let her eyes wander over Harry and Ron and sighed, letting her arms drop in defeat.

" Why are you so upset about it ?" Harry asked in concern as he followed Hermione to the entrance of the castle.

She shrugged a little : " I'm not upset."

" You can't lie , we can see it in your eyes."

" I just don't want to worry about having arguments all the time." Hermione sighed  
" After everything we've been through, everyone we lost…I just want to make this year special."

The boys nodded in understanding.

They made their way through the halls of Hogwarts, their eyes darted to the wall on the right side of them.

At first sight the wall looked empty, cold but if you looked closer, you could see the tiniest change appearing.  
Golden lines were becoming invisible , coiling around until they turned into words.

_The ones who fought in the war  
The ones who showed courage  
The ones who gave their lives for others  
They will be remembered  
As heroes _

Hermione was the first one, who looked away, the memory and the pain was still too fresh.

Harry came to stand next to her and placed his arm gently around her shoulder.

" I promise you Mione, this year will be special."

She nodded and gave him a little smile before she continued her walk through the hall.

" Come on. I don't want to be late for the ceremony."

" I wondered where that Hermione went." Ron grinned as he followed her.

" She never left." She whispered more to herself than to him.

* * *

They almost reached the Great Hall when they heard someone yelling.

" I said MOVE ! Are you deaf ?"

" You are not the boss over me."

There was a moment of silence before the other person replied, his voice dangerously low.

" What did you say ?"

" You heard me."

" Don't you dare speak to me like that again. Do you understand me ! "

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, trying to locate the noises.

" Are you coming ?" Harry questioned, only to receive a quick wave of her hand.

" Go ahead you two. I will be there in a minute , I just need to know what's going on."

" Do you want us to come with you."

Hermione simply shook her head : " This will not take long."

* * *

Hermione made her way to the staircases, where the first year students were waiting to attend the festivities.

The first thing she noticed, was that professor Mcgonagall was nowhere to be seen. She was probably in the hall, making sure that everything was ready for the sorting.

And then she heard the voices again, this time much louder than before.

Hermione quickly glanced around until her eyes rested on a young girl, who looked terrified.

" What's your name ?" she asked friendly.

" Melinda Hintly." The girl answered, her eyes never leaving the door.

" Alright Melinda, can you tell me what's going on here ?"

" I don't know what happened. Professor Mcgonagall told us to wait here and not to make much noise. But when she left an older boy ran up the stairs and started to shout commands at us. He said that if we didn't listen to him, there would be consequences. He looked really angry so we listened to him except for Michael….and now…t..they are fighting." Melinda sobbed.

" Where are they ?"

Hermione watched the little girl pointing her finger to the middle of the stairs. Without hesitating she made her way through the crowd of students.

The screaming voices came closer and closer.

" Aw that hurts." Michael whimpered.

" Not so tough anymore, are we ?"

" Stop pushing me."

Hermione was looking at the older boy, who's back was turned towards her. But there was no doubt who it was. That blond hair, that voice,…it could only belong to one person.

She saw how the young boy flinched a little when his opponent raised his hand in the air.

" Malfoy !" she yelled loudly, making everyone turn their heads except for one.

Or he didn't hear her, which was complete rubbish because she saw his shoulders tense when she called out his name.

He was taking a few steps closer to Michael.

Or he was ignoring her, which was definitely the case right now.

" Malfoy !" she yelled again as she launched herself towards him, grabbing his hand in the process.

Hermione forced him to turn around and look at her.

" What are you doing, Granger." Draco hissed through his teeth as he pulled his hand out of her grip.

" What am I doing ? What the bloody hell were you doing, you nitwit ?"

" Watch your mouth. We are in the presence of younger students." He grinned.

" Don't change the subject." Hermione growled.

Draco sighed, he was clearly getting annoyed : " What are you doing here. Aren't you suppose to be with the golden boy and his follower ?"

Hermione chose to ignore the last part : " I'm here to prevent you from hurting this boy !"

" I wasn't hurting him." He smirked, rolling his eyes at her.

" Oh please…I heard you yelling at him. I even saw you pushing the boy."

" I still don't see the problem."

" And I do ! This will cost Slytherin several house points."

" I don't think that I agree with that."

" I don't care if you agree or not ." Hermione pointed at the badge, that was pinned on her robe. " I have to make sure that all students follow the rules. And as far as I'm concerned you violated the most important one…respect your fellow student and do them no harm."

" There s no need to wave your little badge in my face. I have one quiet similar to yours." He said, revealing his head boy badge.

Hermione was staring at it in shock, her mouth shaped in a perfect ' O'.

" And I believe that the rule is that both head girl as head boy only can take points from other houses if they agree with each other whether or not the violation was big enough to actually take house points. That's why I have to disagree with you Granger, I don't see any harm done so no reduction of points." He continued as his smirk grew wider.

" This can't be happening." She finally managed to say.

" It already did."

" You are joking, no one in their right mind would appoint you as head boy."

" And still here I am, holding the badge in my hand. "

Hermione closed her eyes for a minute, she needed to calm down and she didn't care that people were watching them curiously.

" Then why weren't you inspecting the train with me earlier." She breathed.

" Do you really think I want to spend my free time with you on a train." Draco shuddered as he made a disgusting face.

" You aren't even taking this serious !" Hermione huffed.

Before Draco could give an answer; the door of the Great Hall swung open.

Professor McGonagall stepped out, her eyes caught them immediately.

" Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy…what are you two still doing here ? "

She didn't wait for an answer as she continued.

" Go to your tables this instant."

Hermione quickly did what she was told, avoiding any eye contact with Draco Malfoy as she made her way to Harry and Ron.

This year would be different indeed, but not how she wanted it to be.

* * *

_**And there is the head boy, making already a memorable entrance...**_

_**So the story begins !  
**_

_**Now do you see that little button down there ? *twinkle twinkle*  
**_

_**Let me now what you think :)  
**_


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back !  
Wow I cant' believe that I posted chapter 2 almost a month ago =/ what can I say... school keeps me busy**

**Thank you for all those who read and reviewed previous chapter :)**

**Enjoy the next !  
**

˜ Chapter Three ˜

The Great Hall was lit by candles that were floating in midair over the four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. They were laughing and chatting with their friends.

Hermione glanced upward and saw a velvety black ceiling covered with stars, she smiled as she recognized it as the bewitched ceiling from her first year at Hogwarts.

Hermione sighed heavily as she took her seat between Harry and Ron.

" What took you so long ?" Harry frowned.

She shrugged as she scanned the table for something to eat.

" You missed dinner." Ron said while he took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

" I'm well aware of that…I would have been here sooner but the situation in the hall took a little longer than expected. "

" So what was going on ? "

" I caught a first year student fighting."

Harry nodded as he offered Hermione a piece of his pudding which she gratefully accepted.

" Well why didn't you just give him a warning. That would have saved you a lot of time."

" It was a bit more complicated." She answered.

" Care to explain?" Ron asked curiously.

Hermione didn't respond immediately as she listened to professor McGonagall's speech.

_Another year at Hogwarts has arrived.  
To the new students welcome and to the old students welcome back for a magical year.  
A year full of learning, making friends, but most importantly discovering yourself.  
Now may I ask that the first year students take a step forward.  
When I call your name, you may take place on this chair._

Professor Mcgonagall unrolled the parchment she was holding in her hands and started to announce the names in alphabetical order.

Ron took this opportunity to interrogate Hermione further.

" So what was so special about a first year fighting?"

" He was arguing with an older boy, a much older boy." She answered.

" An older boy? That boy has guts." Harry smiled.

" Indeed. When I was a first year I was afraid to come near an older student –" Ron commented " – but still, I don't know why that fight was so complicated that you missed almost the entire diner."

_Bostock Declan, Ravenclaw._

" Because that older boy is our new Head Boy." Hermione growled as she watched the Ravenclaw students applauding for their new house member.

The last words caught Ginny's attention and with one swift movement she turned around, so she was facing the trio.

" Did you say Head Boy?" She grinned as she leaned a little closer to Hermione.

" Yes, I did."

" You don't sound very enthusiastic." Ginny frowned and Harry nodded in agreement.

_Brody Nerissa, Slytherin._

Hermione poured herself some pumpkin juice before she answered:"that's because I'm not."

" How come?"

" Because the new Head Boy is the one and only Draco Malfoy." She hissed through her teeth.

Harry was staring at her with wide eyes. Ginny looked utterly amazed. And then there was Ron, who not only spilled his drink but almost fell of his chair when he heard the news.

_Knighton Hamish, Hufflepuff._

" You are joking? Right?" Ron stuttered but Hermione simply shook her head.

" Are you sure he really is Head Boy?" Harry tried; maybe Hermione had misunderstood the whole situation in the hallway.

But his hopes were immediately crushed when she nodded fiercely.

" He enjoyed himself quite well when he revealed the badge. And because of that I couldn't even take points from his house."

" This is unbelievable. Why on earth would they choose him?" Harry fumed.

" What did he ever do for this school?"

" Nothing I tell you, nothing!" Ron growled, throwing his fist in the air.

" Ron, keep your voice down people are watching." Hermione whispered as she saw some Hufflepuffs staring at them.

" I don't care! How can they make Malfoy Head Boy after everything his family has done. It's despicable."

" It's not like we can do anything about it."

"We can protest."

_Trinity Lynn, Gryffindor._

" What are you planning to do? Guard professor McGonagall's door until she listens to your demands?" Ginny laughed, rolling her eyes at her brother.

" If that's what it takes…"

" Oh Merlin, just let it go. It's not worth it." Hermione sighed.

" Why aren't you angry about this?"

" Believe me, I'm mad. But the decision has been made and there is nothing we can do to change that. So we just have to accept this."

Both boys looked at Hermione for a while; ready to argue again until they saw the look she gave them. So instead they nodded reluctantly and turned their attention back to their remaining dessert.

_Markens Lisa, Ravenclaw._

After professor Mcgonagall called out the last name, she rolled the parchment back up and made it disappear with one swift panache of her wand.

The remaining first year students, who were still standing in the aisle, made their way to their house tables to enjoy their banquet.

The laughter faded away when professor Mcgonagall rose from her seat, preparing herself for the final speech of the night.

" _Before I bid you goodnight, I have a few announcements to make.  
No students are allowed to enter the forbidden forest.  
All students must return to their own room by nightfall to prevent  
any sort of chaos.  
And last, Mister Filch wants to make it very clear that no  
products of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes are allowed on school ground.  
Now, I'm sure you could all need a good night rest.  
May I ask the first year students to follow their prefect to  
their house dorm.  
And Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy could you please stay behind, there  
are a few thing to discuss.  
That's all. I wish you all goodnight."_

" Do you want us to wait for you?" Ginny asked as she stood up.

" No, you go ahead. I will see you tomorrow."

" Are you sure?" Harry whispered as his eyes wandered to the table of Slytherin.

" Yes Harry, don't worry, I will be fine." Hermione smiled.

She waved her friends goodbye until they disappeared through the doors of the Great Hall.

She waited in her seat, watching a few students walk past her until professor McGonagall motioned her and Draco to come.

" As you know you are both appointed as Head Boy and Head Girl. Now will this cause any problems?"

Before Hermione could form an answer Draco took the lead.

" Of course not professor. We are both adults. We can handle this situation perfectly."

Draco smiled but Hermione could see he was mocking her.

Professor McGonagall nodded one time and turned a little: "and you miss Granger?"

" I hope you don't mind working with me." Draco said, looking innocently at her.

Hermione gritted her teeth: "I agree professor, we are old and wise enough to put our differences aside."

" Splendid. Now as Head Boy and Head Girl, you will have a few important duties to fulfill. You will make sure that the Prefects are doing their work right. I want you two to make a schedule of when you will be patrolling the hallways and of course I expect a report by the end of every week.

Don't forget you have a responsibility towards the other students, so I'm hoping you will take this seriously. Did I make myself clear?"

" We understand professor. And I promise you, we will not let you down." Hermione stated.

"Why don't you kiss the ground she's walking on?" Draco muttered under his breath, earning a deathly glare from Hermione.

" If you will follow me I will show you your rooms."

* * *

They made their way through several halls before they reached the great painting, that represented the four founders of Hogwarts.

" Ah, a Slytherin I see." Salazar Slytherin announced proudly.

" And a Gryffindor." Godric Gryffindor smiled friendly.

They could see the painting of Salazar rolling his eyes at that remark.  
"Password." He growled.

At this point professor McGonagall faced Draco and Hermione again.

" The password is Wattlebird. I will leave so you can explore the room calmly on your own. Goodnight miss Granger and mister Malfoy."

" Goodnight professor." Hermione smiled and waited a moment until she was out of sight.

" Alright Malfoy, if we are going to work together we have to….Malfoy?" She spun around on her heels but he was nowhere to be seen.

She walked into the large common room, which was filled with two red velvet couches and a fire place. There were three doors, one that led to the common bathroom. The others were the sleeping accommodations.

The bedroom on the left side of the common room was closed so Hermione strolled towards it and knocked several times.

" Malfoy! Come out, we have to make a few agreements."

It remained silent on the other side of the door.

" Malfoy!"

" I don't really enjoy midnight visits Granger. Go sleep in your own bed."

" What? I..uhh…I"

" Lost your tongue?"

" You…you are unbelievable."

" I'm glad you acknowledge that. Now go away, you are boring me."

" Malfoy!"

But how many times she called his name, he didn't respond anymore.  
Hermione growled and mumbled a few curses as she made her way to her own room.

_This was going to be a long year._

* * *

_**Here we go chapter 3**__  
_

_**All I have to say is that Draco isn't going to make it easy for Hermione ;)  
**_

_**So let me know what you think...I really like to read about your opinion  
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_**So hit that button ...right down there...and let me know what you think !  
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	4. Chapter 4

˜ Chapter Four ˜

Rays of moonlight seeped through the glass of her window.

Hermione turned around in her bed, slowly opening her eyes.

She had sworn that she had heard something moving outside her bedroom door.  
She concentrated, trying to hear something suspicious but there was nothing ,only silence.

Hermione sighed; a small laugh escaped her lips. Of course she was just imagining things; this was the first night she slept in an unfamiliar room, in a strange bed. This was bound to happen.

She closed her eyes once again.

_Knock knock_

'Just sleep, there is nothing there. It's just your imagination.' She thought.

_Knock knock_

' Ignore it. It will stop if you ignore it.'

_Knock knock_

Hermione growled as she pushed herself on her elbows.  
She expected the noise to stop any minute but it didn't. It only grew louder and louder until it became unbearable.

With a heavy sigh, she threw her silky, red golden sheets off of her.  
Hermione was determined to find out where the noise came from.

She opened her bedroom door and stepped into the Prefects' common room.  
And there he was, standing in the middle of the room only wearing his silky green boxer shorts.  
Hermione narrowed her eyes a little, trying to figure out what he was doing.

She watched him lifting his arm, muttering a few words. The next thing she knew a little black trunk was floating through the air and landed on the ground rather hard.

"Malfoy, what the bloody hell are you doing?" she whispered after a few minutes.

He didn't even turn around as he answered her.

" I thought it would be a good time to rearrange the furniture."

" In the middle of the night?"

" Of course…..now is perfect." He smirked.

" Well stop it ! I'm trying to sleep."

" Nope." He said, popping the 'p'.

" Enough, this is also my room and I have a say in it too."

"Whatever pleases you, Granger."

Hermione stared at him for a moment, noticing the mockery in his grey eyes.  
" This isn't going to work, you know." She gritted through her teeth.

" What isn't going to work?" He asked, as he continued his actions over and over again.

" You, trying to annoy me. It isn't going to work. You have been irritating me for the last six years. Trust me I can handle one more year. "

Draco shook his head at her, as if he just heard the most absurd thing in the world.  
He slowly placed his wand on the table and crossed his arms over his chest.

" Before the end of the term, you will be begging Mcgonagall to take back your Prefect badge."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him: "that will never happen, Malfoy."

" We'll see."

And with that said he grabbed his wand and muttered under his breath, letting the furniture float through the common room again.  
Hermione groaned throwing her hands in the air before walking to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

Days passed, and Hermione slowly believed that Draco was telling the truth. She was coming to the point to just give it all up.

She was miserable, all because of him and his new ways to torture her every single day and night.  
She tried to ignore it, but somehow he always found a way to play tricks with her mind.  
Hermione let out a frustrated sigh as she recalled the memory of last night.

_She was making her way through the long corridor on the fifth floor.  
Hermione had promised Harry and Ron, she would meet them in the Gryffindor tower but first she wanted to freshen herself up._

_It had been a while since she spent some time with them and she had to admit she missed their company.  
So she picked up her pace a little, rushing through the halls and not really paying attention to the other students._

_"What are you doing here?" The portrait of Salazar asked bitterly._

_" I want to go to my room."_

_" I still can't believe it. What has become of this school, letting a –"he looked her over, his eyes saying the words he didn't speak out loud. He shook his head fiercely: "the shame, the shame."_

_Hermione rolled her eyes a little: " Wattlebird."_

_" I think I have to have a talk with professor Mcgonagall to get a few things straight. Not that it will make a difference but every bit helps. Yes I must do that." He murmured to himself, clearly ignoring the girl standing before his portrait._

_" Salazar, for Merlin sake, let this girl pass." Godric intervened._

_"Please excuse him; he is in a terrible mood today." He smiled apologetic at Hermione before he continued._

_" Can you repeat the password again?"_

_Relief washed over Hermione as she nodded fiercely " Wattlebird, sir."_

_" That's correct." Godric waved with his hand opening the portrait door._

_As Hermione walked through the opening, she could still hear the two founders arguing._

_" I'm not agreeing with this Godric."_

_" That ..Salazar, doesn't come as a surprise to me."_

_The voices faded away with every step she took.  
Hermione walked through the common room and headed directly to the bathroom without paying any kind of attention to Draco, who was laying sprawled on the couch, one hand rested behind the back of his head while the other hand was balancing a book on his knees.  
Hermione closed the door behind her and stepped further into the room._

_The bath taps were already running, presenting different-coloured water bubbles and foam.  
Hermione lowered herself into the white, golden covered bathtub; she let her head rest against the edge and closed her eyes for a few minutes._

_She enjoyed the warmth of the water washing over her body, tickling her skin.  
And for a moment she forgot everything.  
For the first time in a few days, she could finally relax and just forget about the world that was waiting for her outside the door._

_Hermione let her hand fall onto the water surface, expecting the bubbles to cover the bare skin of it.  
Her chocolate brown eyes snapped open immediately as her hand connected with the water.  
She stared at it for a moment, lifting her fingers in the air. Green mucus was dripping from them, slowly falling back into the water._

_Hermione quickly sat up, letting out a muffled scream as she saw what happened.  
The clear, blue water was replaced by something thick and green stretched over the whole surface.  
Without hesitating any longer, Hermione jumped out of the bathtub, wrapping a towel around her, now, shivering body._

_Her cheeks turned bright red with anger as she marched through the door, placing herself in front of Draco Malfoy._

_" What the bloody hell did you do?" She asked, pointing her finger at him._

_" Well well Granger, if I didn't know any better I would think you are trying to seduce me." He smirked as he saw her face turning pale when she noticed her state of undress._

_" In your dreams, Malfoy." She sneered._

_" Even then I would never consider you." He simply replied, leaning back on the couch._

_Hermione decided to ignore that last comment.  
" What did you do?" She repeated again as she pointed at the green mucus in her hair._

_She could see that Draco had a hard time holding back his laughter._

_" And here I was, thinking that the bathroom was a place to clean and wash yourself. Clearly you have another idea –" he paused for one moment " - but then again what's so dirty and disgusting beyond repair you can't really fix, now can you?"_

_He was challenging her, trying to provoke a reaction out of her. And Hermione knew she just had to walk away and not waste any more words or time on him.  
But she couldn't, her feet didn't obey._

_" I think you know that much better than me. Everything you touch turns into something foully."_

_" If I were you, I would watch my mouth." Draco said, his voice deadly calm._

_Hermione watched how he slowly rose to his feet until he was so close, she could feel his warm breath on her skin._

_" Then it's a good thing that you are not me because I couldn't care less what you say."_

_" Watch it Mudblood." He hissed through his teeth._

_" Am I suppose to be scared ? "_

_" If you know what's good for you."_

_Hermione sighed heavily, rolling her eyes at him: " making empty threats that's all you're good at."_

_" This is not the end." Draco whispered darkly before he slightly pushed her aside and made his way to his room._

_Her breath caught in her throat as he turned around once more._

_His grey eyes bored into hers. They were darker, filled with anger, mockery and something else.  
Something Hermione hadn't seen before when he looked at her.  
But somehow she couldn't put her finger on it._

_What she did know, was that he was still staring at her, letting his gaze roam over her entire body.  
She could feel her heart stammering in her chest. She felt so exposed by the way he was looking at her, it made her body tremble._

_" Take a shower Granger. You look awful." He murmured, a smile playing around his lips as he closed the door behind him.  
Hermione blinked a few times, trying to progress what just happened._

_How hard she tried, she couldn't find an explanation.  
She didn't know why she reacted like that when he looked at her.  
She didn't know why her hands were shaking when she saw him turn around.  
Hermione took a few breaths, trying to compose herself before she headed back to the bathroom._

_" You will pay for this." She whispered softly, taking one last look at his closed door before disappearing into the room._

" Malfoy again ?" Ginny asked as she nudged Hermione, trying to get her attention.  
Hermione nodded, taking a bite from her toast.

" What did he do this time?"

Before Hermione answered, she glanced around the Great Hall, making sure that Harry and Ron weren't there. She didn't want them to know. This was her problem, she would deal with it.

" What doesn't he do. He called me a Mudblood yesterday."

Ginny looked at her with wide eyes: " what ? After everything that happened. After everything we've been through and he still dares to call you that."

" What did you expect? He will never change Ginny." Hermione shrugged.

" It's about time he did. If someone would put some sense in that stupid head of his..." she muttered.

" Don't even think about it."

"Alright then, but just remember, you are better than him. He is a little child that just wants attention."

" I know."

Ginny smiled at her friend, and placed an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer.  
" You will be alright."

* * *

_Here we go ! Another chapter for Nothing but dreams :) Once again I apologize for the long wait...I was kinda busy with a little thing they call exams. _

_But now I'm officialy back_ _and proud to say I passed those horrible exams. So I have a whole summer to write :)_

_I would like to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter : HPCouples, Slytheringurrl, Candell, Capture the moment and Lola...I really appreciate it ! Many hugs and kisses  
_

_I'm still amazed how many people added this story to their favourites and put it on alert so also a big thank you .  
_

_And last but not least I would like to thank WisteriaBlossom1992 for betaing this chapter  
_

_So all that's left do is to click on that big bleu button thingy down there ...you know you want to ;)  
_


	5. Chapter 5

_Here we go another chapter _. _Once again I would like to thank every reader who took the time to review previous chapter and of course thank you for all who read the story . It really means a lot to me !  
Now I already mentioned this in my first chapter ( well I think I did ) and now I will do it again ... I do not own the world of Harry Potter nor do I own the characters. If I did, I would lock Draco Malfoy in my bedroom and never come out again ;)_

_Okay enough rambling...Enjoy next chapter !  
_

* * *

**˜ Chapter Five ˜**

The next few days, Hermione kept repeating Ginny's words in her head over and over again.  
Every time he insulted her, every time he pushed her to her limits; she kept thinking about those four words : '_ He just wants attention'._

And everyday it became harder to fight the urge to give it to him

" So, what class is next ?" Ron asked casually as he walked beside Harry and Hermione through the hallway.

" Honestly Ron, we have been here for 2 months. Don't you think it's time to know your schedule by now ?" Hermione hissed, clearly annoyed by his lack of interest for school.

" It was just a question." Ron mumbled.

" A question you have been repeating every single day."

" Merlin Mione, what's gotten into you ?"

" Nothing." She huffed, while trying to avoid any kind of eye contact.

They walked a few feet in silence before Harry sighed and turned a little so he could look at her properly.

" Ron is right. Ever since you became Head Girl, you act differently." He said carefully, not wanting to start an argument.

" And how is that ?"

" You are acting….well…cold. It seems like your mind is always somewhere else."

" Cold ? I'm cold? Well thank you for the compliment Harry !" Hermione mocked, watching him with wide eyes.

" I'm sorry Mione . I just want to know if there's something we need to know, something you aren't telling us ?"

Hermione stared at him for a moment, wondering if she had to tell him how Draco was treating her but she quickly shook her head.  
She was old enough to fight her own battles.

" No. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't know about you two but I don't want to be late for class."

She knew she was acting ridiculous, but at this point she didn't care.

She turned on her heels and started to walk away from them : " Oh and in case you still don't know it. We have Potions." And with this said, she left.

Harry and Ron quickly exchanged looks when Hermione disappeared behind the corner.

" Well, isn't she miss sunshine." Ron grumbled as he started to walk in the same direction Hermione did.

" Something is wrong." Harry commented.

" Of course not. You know Hermione, she has the ability to change her mood in a second. One day, she can be so friendly, it scares me and the next she is like that." Ron responded, waving his hand at the spot where Hermione had been standing not so long ago.

" She only changes when you are nearby." Harry laughed, earning a growl from his best friend.

" Not funny, mate. Come on let's go to class before Slughorn gets a heart attack; when he doesn't see his favourite student."

Harry smiled and nodded, following Ron as they made their way to Potions. He pushed the feeling that something was wrong with Hermione to the back of his mind, deciding he would wait until she felt confident enough to tell him everything.

The dungeon was filled with students, who were waiting for their professor to arrive.

Hermione was standing at the end of the line, watching three Slytherins arguing about the upcoming Quidditch game.  
Behind the three boys, she saw Draco and Pansy. He was leaning against the wall, his head turned away from Pansy's searching lips.  
Pansy pouted as she looked at him before she mumbled a few words Hermione couldn't hear.

But whatever she said, it seemed that Draco was mad at her. He turned around so his back was facing Pansy. With a huff, she made her way too Blaise, who was standing only a few feet away.

But Draco didn't seem to care, his grey eyes were scanning the area, and Hermione could tell he was searching for someone.  
Discrete, she lifted her head; wondering who the person was that caught his eye.

But there was no one, who could gain his attention; to him they were all worthless.

So she looked back at him, a small gasp left her lips as his grey eyes bore into hers, capturing her.  
The intensity of his stare made her knees tremble and her body shiver.

And then it was all over...the connection was gone from the moment someone tapped on her shoulder.  
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to regain herself before she faced the person next to her.

"I'm glad to see you didn't get lost on your way over here." She smiled.

Harry relaxed a little when he realized her mood swing from earlier was completely over and he replied her smile.  
" It was difficult but we made it." He grinned.

" I'm sure it was."

With that she looked around, frowning : " Where is Ron ?"

" He didn't want to come until he knew for sure that you were calmed down." Harry shrugged.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him " Seriously, that boy..."

He nodded , silently agreeing with her before something crossed his mind.

" What were you looking at ?"

" What ?" she asked confused.

" I was calling your name several times but you didn't seem to hear me. You looked distracted."

Hermione stared at him, remembering the connection she felt when Draco was looking at her. She quickly rejected that thought, it was too ridiculous to even think about it for one second.

" Oh nothing special...just thinking about what professor McGonagall told us during Transfiguration."

" Right..." Harry said, and she could see that he didn't believe her, she didn't blame him even she wouldn't have believed such an excuse.  
He was about to ask something else when they heard footsteps coming closer.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief when she saw professor Slughorn appear from behind the corner.

It seemed that he had been running to get there; his face was red from the effort and a few drops of sweat were glistering on his forehead.

Some students were laughing behind his back, making soft pig noises. But it didn't seem to bother him or he just didn't hear it.

" I apologize for my lateness, I was a bit preoccupied. I completely lost track of time." He smiled, opening the door and gesturing everyone to come inside.

" Go on; we have a lot to do today and so little time."

Students followed him inside, taking their seats.

Hermione made her way to her usual seat when she noticed something different.  
The classroom, that was once a home for many scents, was now filled with a sweet fragrance. She slightly sniffed, detecting a tad of vanilla in the air.

" Do you smell that?" she asked Harry, who took a seat next to her, joined by Ron, Neville, Seamus and Dean.

" What do I need to smell?"

" Vanilla, the room is filled with it."

" Vanilla?" Harry sniffed, and shook his head " No, I think it's more like a floral scent."

" Bacon." Ron commented, " Definitely bacon."

Professor Slughorn made his way to the front of the class, a smile graced his lips. Of course he noticed the frowns and confusion of his students.  
He slightly turned around, his hand resting on a large, black cauldron.

" Good afternoon, everyone. Now before we start today's lesson, I have a question for you." He began, " Is there something in this room that you find odd ?"

" What do you mean, professor?" Seamus asked, raising his hand.

" Is there something different, something that wasn't here before?"

Hermione looked up, knowing exactly what he meant.

" There is a different scent in the room, something you don't really expect in a dungeon." She quickly answered.

She could hear a few people mumbling, agreeing and others were trying to concentrate so they could locate the new scent.  
And then a high pitched voice rose from the back of the room.

" Oh yes, that terrible stench is gone." Pansy grinned, eyeing Hermione " Well, almost all stench."

A few Slytherin students were laughing at the comparison their fellow student had made.

" Miss Parkinson, I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour." Professor Slughorn spoke loudly. " I would appreciate it if you keep your opinions to yourself."

" Now if we can continue." He gave Pansy one last look, " Indeed miss Granger, there is a new scent in the room. Can you please tell me what it is, that you smell?"

" Vanilla, professor.'

" Interesting scent. Mister Thomas , what tickles your nose?"

" A new broomstick." Dean answered, a small blush appearing on his cheeks.

And the list went on: from Butterbeer to strawberry ice-cream. Professor Slughorn smiled approvingly, making a few comments as he heard the different smells that the students were summing up.

A silence dawned upon the classroom as he took a small flask from the cupboard.

" Strange, isn't it? That everyone in this room has a different opinion –" he dipped the flask into the cauldron, filling it to the brim. " All because of this." He held up the bottle, exposing a watery potion.

" Of course it isn't strange." The voice came from the last row, " It's quite obvious what the reason is."

" Ah miss Parkinson. Care to explain, why the reason is so obvious ?"

" You are clearly talking about Amortentia."

" She is right, professor . The scent in the air unmistakably refers to what we like...what we find attractive. That's a common feature for Amortentia." Seamus skipped in, clearly amazed by his own knowledge.

" Indeed it is mister Finnigan but unfortunately this isn't the famous love potion I'm holding in my hands." Professor Slughorn smiled as he held the crystal flask up.

" This potion is similar to what we already know but yet different. Students, today we are in the present ...yes Miss Granger ?"

Hermione had risen her hand immediately, quite pleased with herself that she knew exactly what the professor was referring to. ' Pansy was right' she thought to herself while smirking a little,' it was quite obvious...to her at least.'

" It's Phantasiac, professor. The potion fills the room with the scent of your deepest desire."

" That is correct Miss Granger," he nodded approvingly ", And I suppose you also know the side effects ?"

" I believe that I can answer that professor." Draco commented from across the room.

His lips curled into a smirk as he saw Hermione turn around in her seat. " I'm quite sure he asked me."

" Now now Miss Granger. Let's give Mister Malfoy the chance to answer."

Hermione turned around again with a little huff, blocking out the quiet laughter coming from the Slytherin students, with Pansy as their leader.

" One drop of this potion is enough to lose any control over your own mind. You will be consumed by your deepest desire and there is nothing you can do about it...unless you give in."

The room was filled with silence as Draco spoke his last words. A few students were looking at the potion with a new perspective, clearly intrigued to find out what their deepest desire would be.

" And what about the scent?" A student asked hesitatingly.

This time Hermione didn't wait for Draco or professor Slughorn to answer nor did she raise her hand. She simple spoke aloud:

" The scent is a crucial part of Phantasiac, it gives away a small clue to discover what you long for but it doesn't give you a final answer."

" Very good miss Granger and of course Mister Malfoy." Professor Slughorn nodded approvingly. "Now today..."

"Professor?"

Professor Slughorn spun around until he was facing the student who called him.  
"Yes, Mister Potter?"

" I was wondering, if the scent is so powerful ...shouldn't a person recognise it immediately if someone would try to give it to him ?"

" That is a good question and to answer it...Although the scent is a crucial part like Miss Granger mentioned, if you give a person only one drop of the potion the scent will reveal nothing. But don't be mistaken one drop is powerful enough to make a person go mad if he doesn't give in to the desire." The old man answered and then smiled.

" Does that answer your question ?"

" Yes professor." Harry answered and returned his smile.

" Good. Then we can start with the assignment for today's lesson." He grabbed a smaller bottle from the table.

" You will be making a less dangerous version of Phantasiac. And the student, who succeeds, will win this slightly adapted version. Now don't be alarmed you won't go mad if you take this...It will only give you the opportunity to choose a dream for one night."

" Where do we find the recipe?" Ron asked immediately.

" Ah mister Weasly, I see that you are eager to start. You will only find the recipe for Phantasiac in your books."

"But how..."

"Patience, Mister Weasley." With one sweep of his wand, professor Slughorn conjured a few words and numbers. " This is all the information you will need..I wish you all good luck."

Without wasting any more time, students quickly made their way to the pantry, grabbing all the ingredients they needed. Soon the room was filled with many fragrances and transformed into a palette of various colours.

Students were growling at their cauldron, others were softly cursing under their breaths and then you had a few who were clapping enthusiastically when something was going right.

And all the while professor Slughorn was making his way through the classroom, taking a peek in every cauldron he passed. Until also he clapped his hands in delight.

" I believe we have a winner." He smiled widely.

Heads turned, trying to catch a glimpse of the person who had won . Neville, Dean, Seamus and Harry shook their heads in disbelieve when they figured out who it was.

And Ron took the opportunity to practice some new inappropriate words.

Hermione was the only one who kept quiet as her eyes followed Draco Malfoy to the front of the classroom, where he received his prize.

Draco smirked dangerously at her as he made his way to his seat. Only to stop in his tracks and take a few steps back until he was close enough to whisper in Hermione's ear.

" How does it feel ...losing from me ?"

Hermione shivered a little as his soft breath tickled her skin.

" If I had lost from someone important ,I would have cared but now...not so much" she whispered back.

Both didn't notice the black-haired girl standing behind them until she opened her mouth.

" How dare you talk to him like that Granger. If I were you I would show him some respect." Pansy sneered.

" Nobody asked your opinion." Harry growled, rising from his seat. He had followed the entire conversation and decided it was time to step in.

But Hermione shook her head , indicating that she could handle it.

" Excuse me ? Show him respect ? I have every right to speak to him in a way that I please."

" You have some nerves..."

" Yes I have. Where have you been these past months ? No one thinks by blood status anymore...well except for a couple of ignorant people" Hermione stated bluntly, pointing her finger at some Slytherins. " As far as I'm concerned we are equals."

" Unbelievable ! Do you really think that some war can change an entire opinion? And you call me ignorant...oh please you are and will always be the same old dirty Mudblood."

Hermione felt a little sting with the mention of those last words but she quickly shrugged it off.

" Of course I'm not that ignorant but I know that some people are making an effort ... I also know that some people chose to stay in their bubble. And now, if you'll excuse me, I wasted enough time on someone as narrow-minded as you."

With that said she left the classroom followed closely by Harry and Ron.

She never looked back.

And if she did she would have seen how Pansy's face had turned almost purple. And she would have seen how Draco had looked at her with a determined expression on his face.

* * *

" The nerves she has ! " Pansy snorted as she paced back and forth in the Slytherin common room.

Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply , " Give it a rest woman."

Pansy halted abruptly, looking at her classmate with wide, crazy eyes. She couldn't believe the lack of agreement.

" I will not ! She needs to be punished, I think it's time to teach little miss Granger some respect."

" And I think you need to sit down and take a few deep breaths."

" Nobody asked your opinion, Zabini." Pansy growled.

" Can you two keep your mouths shut for just five minutes. You are giving me a headache." Draco snarled from across the room.

He was leaning against the large bookshelf while letting his newly received prize twirl around in the air. He let his eyes focus on it for a few seconds before he caught it with his hand.

" So you want revenge ?"

Pansy narrowed her eyes not really knowing where he was going with this " Of course...she deserves it, she made a fool out of me."

Draco nodded. " Right. Then we are going to use this." He said, holding up the little bottle in his hand.

" You are going to torture her by giving her a potion that will allow her to dream about something she may chose? Very life threatening, I must say." Pansy responded quite sceptical.

" No you fool. We are going to use the real potion...We are going to make Phantasiac"

Blaise frowned as he listened to his friend " How are we going to do that ? We don't have any ingredients "

" Don't worry about that, just trust me." Draco grinned. " Before this year is over we will have Granger on her knees."

"I'm listening..." Pansy smiled wickedly.


	6. Chapter 6

_A special thanks to my lovely beta WisteriaBlossom1992 ! _

_And also thank you to SlytherinGurrl, Candell, Brooke, Frances, Beans, KissAFrogAnd WaitForYourPrince, Dontworry26 and WisteriaBlossom1992  
_

_Enjoy Chapter Six !  
_

* * *

˜ Chapter Six ˜

She could feel their eyes watching her , following her every move. It had been like this for days now, weeks even.

She would walk past their little group in the hallway and they would just look at her; as if she had committed the greatest sin.

And every time she would move a tad faster to get a away from their gazes.

"I wonder what their problem is ?" Ginny whispered softly, glancing over her shoulder.

" You noticed it too ?"

" Well of course, I mean if they stare any longer I swear their eyes will pop out."

Hermione smiled a little, pulling her books closer to her chest " They've been acting like that for weeks."

" Even Malfoy ?"

" Especially him. When we are in the common room, it's like his eyes are glued to me until I close the door of my room, and then when I come back outside ...he is gone; like he is waiting for me to leave."

They turned around the corner , passing a few younger students before they continued their conversation.

" Strange."

" To say the least." Hermione nodded in agreement , she would never admit it out loud but she wanted to know what he was up to.  
She knew that there was something that was not right , she just couldn't figure out what it was.

" Did you tell Harry and Ron ?" Ginny asked curiously as she looked at Hermione.

" No, I don't really see the point. It's not like they can do anything about it."

" Maybe not but you can't know that for sure if you don't inform them."

" I'm not going to tell them, Ginny, and neither are you. The last time they suspected Malfoy for something we ended up following him the entire year. It was nearly becoming an obsession for some of us." Hermione pointed out, clearly referring to Harry.

Ginny shrugged a little, not impressed with her arguments.

"But their suspicion was proven right." She softened her voice a little before she continued: " Look I'm not judging anyone, I'm not here to accuse someone, not even Malfoy and his groupies. I'm just given you some advice if you think something isn't right, tell someone."

" I already told you."

" That is not what I mean."

Hermione halted before the staircase and pulled Ginny back so that they were standing face to face.

" I can handle this, it's probably nothing. So I'm going to repeat myself; I'm not going to tell Harry and Ron about this and neither will you."

Ginny pulled her hand back from Hermione's grasp : " you don't have to be so aggressive about it. What's the matter with you?" She asked sternly.

" Nothing, I..I'm sorry I didn't mean to be so harsh. I just want you to know that I'm old and wise enough to take care of myself. Though I love Harry and Ron, I don't need them to hold my hand during every step I take."

Hermione looked at her red-haired friend, hoping that she would understand. She needed to be out of their shadows for a while. She needed to walk her own path, finding out who she really was.

She knew it sounded quite dramatic but it was the truth and she decided that this time she wasn't going to ignore this nagging feeling.

" Alright." Ginny nodded.

" So you will not tell them ?" Hermione knew she was sounding like a three- year- old at this point.

" No, but if things change don't hesitate to tell me. I'm your friend Hermione…I will always be here to help you."

" I know, I know and thank you; this really means a lot to me."

Ginny offered Hermione a small smile before pulling her in a hug. She knew that there was no point in pushing her friend towards something she didn't want to do. But she made an oath to herself that she would keep an eye on that bloody Malfoy and his followers.

After a few moments they let go of each other, " I'm going to change in something a little more comfortable." Ginny said as she pointed at her robes, " I will see you in the Great Hall."

She quickly waved goodbye before she turned on her heels and ran up the Grand Staircase, leaving Hermione on her own.

Before Hermione continued her way to the Great Hall, she grabbed a few notes from her brown leather bag. She made sure that they were neatly folded and carefully put them in a little envelope.

Hermione knocked on the first door on her right , and waited for a reply before she entered the room.

"Good evening Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall said formally." Close the door please."

When a click echoed through the room professor McGonagall finally looked up from the book, that was lying in front of her on the wooden desk.

"How can I help you ?"

" I have finished my report about the nightly patrols along with a few side notes, professor." Hermione smiled politely.

Professor McGonagall gave a short nod and gestured her to come further into the room.

" And what kind of side notes did you include, Miss Granger ?"

" It's more like an observation, you might say. I made a small list with names of students who kept wandering through the castle well past midnight, even after they had received several warnings before." Hermione started to explain. " And I listed a few suggestions about the duties of the Prefects."

Professor McGonagall gave another short nod before giving the notes a closer look. For a moment, the room was filled with silence.

"Well, Miss Granger once again you delivered excellent work. I will take these suggestions under consideration. "

Hermione nodded, " Thank you for your time, professor."

" Was there anything else ?"

"No professor, I will leave you to it." She took a few steps into the direction of the door when McGonagall called her back.

" Miss Granger ?"

She turned around until she was facing the headmistress, who was now glancing over the edge of her glasses to look at her.

" When can I expect Mister Malfoy's report ? "

" I…uhm…I'm not sure, professor." Hermione admitted reluctantly. She knew they were supposed to be working together for this assignment.

"You do know that this isn't an individual assignment, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall said sternly, pointing at Hermione's report on her desk.

" I'm well aware of that."

McGonagall looked at her; clearly not pleased with the answer. She remained silent for a moment, the expression in her eyes changing from strict to concerned.

She continued the conversation, her voice reduced to a milder tone.

" Is there a problem between you and Mister Malfoy ?"

Hermione stared at the headmistress not really sure what to say. Should she confess about the way Draco had been treating her ? Should she just ignore the decision she made earlier, the decision she so fiercely defended against Ginny ? Only so she could hide in the safe haven professor McGonagall would provide ?

And besides what would she tell her ? '_ Malfoy and his friends have been bullying me.' _ or maybe _ ' they have been calling me names again.' _ And then what …she also had to admit that the past couple of days they had left her alone.

Hermione knew exactly how this would end. Professor McGonagall would roll her eyes at the stupidity of the Slytherin students and eventually she would promise to keep an eye on them.

After a while Hermione shook her head and gave a bright smile, " Of course not professor. I do admit we had our differences in the beginning but now all is well. Our communication has been a little bit stiff, due to the may school work we received."

" Are you sure that's all ?" Professor McGonagall kept eying her suspiciously.

Hermione nodded before she responded, " yes, and I will make sure that Mister Malfoy delivers his report by the end of the week."

The headmistress wasn't entirely convinced, she had been around students long enough to know when something was going on . But she simply gave a nod indicating that she accepted her explanation.

" Good evening , Miss Granger. Enjoy your supper."

" Good evening, professor."

And within a minute Hermione was standing at the other side of the door. She noticed that the sun was almost hidden behind the Astronomy tower as a cool night breeze swept across the corridor.

She descended the marble staircase until she was standing in the Entrance Hall, she turned right as she made her way to the Great Hall, which was already filled with students.

Hermione walked directly to Harry, Ron and Ginny who were already sitting at the Gryffindor table. She didn't even notice the grey sky and raindrops that covered the high ceiling.

" What took you so long ?" Ginny asked curiously.

" I had to give something to professor McGonagall. It took a bit longer than I expected."

Ron shivered, " meeting teachers after school hours …horrible"

Harry smiled brightly as he patted his friend on the back. " Even during school hours it's a horrible thing for you."

" I shall not respond to that." Ron commented, waving his chicken wing in the air.

" Right mate. " Harry chuckled.

Hermione shook her head at the absurdity of her friends. Oh how she enjoyed these meals. This was the time to sit back , relax and just act silly….it was a wonderful time.

" But I do have a question for you Hermione." Ron said casually .

" I'm listening."

" I just can't figure out the assignment professor Flitwick gave us. It's just so …so complicated, well difficult actually. So I was wondering how you handled it ? "

Hermione thought about this before she replied, " quite simple Ron. " She grinned as she saw him, nodding eagerly.

" First I go to the library , where I search for the right book for the proper charm. Then I sit down, take my parchment and quill and take a few notes . Afterwards I go back to my room and start writing. "

" But…"

" Yes, I know Ron..it's quite simple, just like I said before."

Ginny burst out in loud laughter when she saw the look of despair in her brother's eyes as he realized that Hermione didn't offer any help.

" What Ron is trying to say, is that we could really use your help." Harry skipped in.

" And why do I have to help you?"

" Because those two can't hold a quill on their own accord." Ginny mocked.

" I can hold a quill perfectly well, thank you very much." Ron huffed.

" You would do us an enormous favour. You know we can't do it without you, Hermione" Harry said seriously.

" Fine , " she sighed , " I will help you search for the books and I will read it through when you are finished but I'm not going to make the assignment for you."

Both boys nodded in agreement before they leaned forward and gave her a kiss on each cheek.

" I promise you that this will be the last time." Harry smiled.

" Me too, but when are you going to help us ? I've got a bit of a tight schedule."

" Ron ! Can't you just be grateful for a few seconds." Ginny exclaimed as she rolled her eyes at his impatience.

Hermione opened her mouth ready to give a reply when someone interrupted them.

" Help ! " Neville shouted as he ran to the staff table at the front of the Great Hall.

A few students turned their heads; trying to figure out what was going on. Other students stood up from their table and followed Neville, who was waving frantically with his arms.

" The Entrance hall...people are stuck."

" Speak clearly my dear boy. What is the matter? " Professor Sprout asked calmly.

Her words seemed to have an effect on Neville as he abruptly came to a halt and looked at her. He took a few breaths before he continued. " The Entrance hall is turned into a swamp professor. Students are stuck, they need help."

In a matter of seconds every single student rose from their seat and ran outside, of course they wanted to see what Neville had announced with their own eyes.

All but one ...

Harry, Ron and Hermione were looking at the scene before them in awe. Students were trying to climb out of the puddle of mud only to slip back in.

" Look there is Seamus." Harry said, pointing at a boy who was covered in ivy. " Seems like he was one of the unfortunate ones."

" Indeed he…what the bloody hell is he doing know?" Ron gasped.

They all watched how their Irish friend pinched his nose and took a deep breath before he leapt forward to dive back into the swamp.

" Stop !" Hermione yelled and Harry rushed over to the spot where Seamus was standing, just in time to pull him back to the edge.

The boy looked around with a bewildered gaze , not sure what happened exactly. And then he saw Harry, Ron and Hermione watching him.

" Why did you do that ?" Seamus asked in confusion, rubbing the arm Harry had released not so long ago.

" You were going to jump back into the swamp." Hermione whispered

" I was well aware of that."

" Why would you something like that ?"

" I wanted to save my books, they are down there." Seamus explained as he scrambled back up. " Now if you'll excuse me I have a mission to complete." And he resumed his previous position.

" Oh for heaven's sake." Hermione rolled her eyes at him. " I will help you."

She pushed him back aside and grabbed her wand " Accio Seamus' books." And with one wave of her wand , the books came floating towards them. " Here you go."

" Ah , thank you Hermione." Seamus smiled brightly.

" What happened here ?" Harry asked, running his fingers through his raven-black hair .

" Not sure actually, I was on my way to the Great Hall when all of a sudden the ground beneath me started to transform and before I knew it I was swimming around in a swamp."

" You didn't see who did this ?"

Seamus shook his head " I'm sorry mate, I wish I could help you but I didn't see a thing."

" The person who did this clearly has no sense of humour." Hermione stated before she started moving again. She decided that it was her responsibility as Head Girl to go help the unfortunate students. Harry and Ron quickly followed her example.

She spent most of her time dragging students back to the edge of the swamp. When they were calmed down a little and provided with a warm blanket, Hermione started asking them questions.

" Did you see who did this ?"

And the answers were always different.

" No...we were just walking and then poof ... we were floating."

" I'm wet."

" I swear I saw a boy running away but I didn't get a good look."

Hermione gave a heavy sigh, she was at the point of giving up when she heard a familiar voice.

" Seems like Longbottom didn't exaggerate for once."

She slowly turned around until she was facing the blond- haired boy, who was leaning against one of the pillars with his arms folded against his chest and his legs crossed.

" Go stand somewhere else, Malfoy."

" Touchy." He smirked.

" Instead of mocking me you could help me."

Draco rose his eyebrow as he took a few steps closer to her, " and why would I do that ?"

" Because it is your duty as Head Boy, ignorant fool." Hermione fumed.

" Not a very good reason I must say...but I love the name calling ." At this point, he was only standing a few inches away from her.

" What are you playing at Malfoy ?"

He only smirked, taking another step in her direction. She could feel his cool breath on her skin

When he didn't respond Hermione continued. " You have something to do with this, don't you ? Wait until McGonagall hears about this."

She turned around ready to leave when his hand reached out. He wrapped his slender fingers around her arm, pulling her back to him.

" Stop accusing me, little miss perfect." Draco spat, " or else…"

" Let go of me." Hermione wriggled a little in his grasp, trying to free herself but he was much stronger than she was. " I will hex your arse into oblivion if you don't let go."

" Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, what are you two doing there ?"

Hermione and Draco turned their heads simultaneously only to see professor McGonagall walking towards them. Without hesitating Draco let go of Hermione's arm so that they could stand next to each other.

" Well ?" McGonagall demanded as she reached them.

" We were just discussing a few possible suspects professor." Draco lied smoothly.

" And who do you have in mind ?"

" I …uhm…we…" Hermione frowned, she wasn't good in this. But it seemed that professor McGonagall was too distracted to even notice her distress .

" Headmistress." Filch called from across the swamp.

" Yes, Filch?"

" You asked me to come directly to you , headmistress, if I saw anything suspicious."

" Just tell me what you saw." Professor McGonagall was noticeably getting irritated with the caretaker of Hogwarts.

" I found this boy wandering around the halls." He clarified and with one pull Blaise Zabini appeared in plain sight. " He was trying to hide this." Filch was holding up a little green bag. " What should we do with him ?"

" Bring him here Filch, I will take care of him."

Filch did what he was told but it was obvious that he didn't like it. In his mind he was already coming up with several cruel ways to punish the Slytherin boy.

He handed professor McGonagall the little bag and strolled back to where he came from, followed closely by Mrs. Norris. " Come along my sweet, many other rebels to take care of."

When he was out of sight professor McGonagall turned around to face Blaise.  
" Did you do this Mister Zabini ?" She asked, pointing at the swamp.

" Yes, professor." There was no point in lying any more.

Draco let out a disapproving whisper, earning a glance from his fellow housemate.

" And where did you get this ?"

" I bought it at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, professor."

" How is that possible ? I examine every student thoroughly when they come back from Hogsmeade . There is no possible way he could bring this product with him without me noticing it." Filch breathed heavily as he appeared from behind the corner.

" Filch, I thought I told you I would take care of it ? Were you eavesdropping ?" McGonagall asked dangerously calm.

" No headmistress, I would never do that... I...uhm..well..."

" Enough." She mumbled and turned her attention back to Blaise. " Do you know how to solve this mess ?"

The boy shook his head.

" Right. Filch send a letter to Fred and George Weasley and tell them to come to the castle at once. And let them know I give them permission to apparate into school grounds." The caretaker nodded and once again he disappeared behind the corner.

" Mister Malfoy escort Mister Zabini back to the Great Hall. Once this swamp is gone I will discuss his punishment."

Once both Slytherin boys had left, Harry and Ron walked over to where Hermione was standing.

" Did we miss something? " Ron asked curiously.

Hermione slightly nodded " Zabini was the one who created the swamp. But apparently he didn't know how he could fix it, Professor McGonagall had to call for help to solve this chaos."

When she spoke the last words, two thuds could be heard and two identical red- haired boys appeared.

" What are you two doing here ?" Ron asked, dumbfounded .

" We were in the neighbourhood..." Fred announced.

" And we decided to visit or favourite brother." George skipped in.

Fred and George looked at each other in shock.

" Oh no George..."

" I know Fred."

" We are at the wrong place. I told you we had to make a left turn."

" Well, we will visit Charlie another time."

Harry and Hermione burst out into laughter when they realised what they were saying.

" Funny, really funny." Ron grumbled, not amused with his brothers.

" Mister and Mister Weasley. I'm glad you could make it." Professor McGonagall skipped in.

" Always the pleasure." They said simultaneously.

Professor McGonagall smiled a little before she gestured to the swamp in the middle of the Entrance Hall, " I heard that this is one of your products."

From the moment that they noticed their creation, Fred and George grinned wildly. " The Swamplicious." They nodded.

" Swamplicious." Ron said sceptically. " A stupid and ordinary name if you ask me."

George looked at his younger brother as he placed his hand on his heart " I can't believe that you just said that."

" Don't worry George, you will survive this." Fred soothed as he gave his twin brother a pat on the back.

" Boys this is not the time nor the place to make fun of each other." Professor McGonagall said strictly. " I asked you to come because we have a problem getting rid of this thing called _ swamplicious._"

" No problem professor, we are happy to help." George smiled, " Fred you have the honour."

Fred waved his wand a few times, mumbling words no one could properly hear and then it was all gone. The Entrance Hall was restored to his old form.

" How did you to that ?" Hermione asked with interest.

" With a touch of magic."

Hermione didn't have the chance to ask further as professor McGonagall spoke again. " Thank you boys, but now I have to ask you to leave so that the students can start their normal routine again."

Fred and George nodded still grinning from ear to ear and waving goodbye before they apparated back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Not long after the twins were gone, Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way back to the Great Hall where they joined Neville and Ginny at the table.

" Another crazy adventure at Hogwarts." Ginny laughed.

" How could we ever live without." Hermione added before she took a sip of her pumpkin juice.

* * *

" Did you give it to her ?" Draco asked.

" I hope so..." Blaise groaned " I have bloody detention because of it."

Pansy rolled her eyes at him. " Of course I gave it...I poured it into her pumpkin juice."

The three of them glanced over to the Gryffindor table until they found Hermione Granger.  
Draco smirked as he saw how Hermione took a sip from her drink.

" Sweet dreams, Miss Granger. " He whispered.

* * *

_Voila , another chapter finished ! I hope you enjoyed it and as always let me know what you think :)_

_Oh I would like to point out that I'm well aware you normally can't apparate on Hogwarts that's why I made sure that professor McGonagall aka Headmistress gave permission to apparate  
_

_Now hit that review box ...  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_**And I'm back with a brand new chapter !  
Wow I just noticed that this story has already reached 1,000 hits that's just ...Wow ** **:)  
As usual I want to thank all my reviewers fot taking to the time to leave a comment and of course thank you to all the readers !  
Hugs & kisses to my beta WisteriaBlossom1992**_

_**Oh and a little spoiler ... you can mark this chapter as the beginning of many steamy chapters ;)  
**_

_**Read & Review !  
**_

˜ Chapter Seven ˜

It was already well past midnight when Hermione made her way to her chambers.  
She had been in the library all evening; helping Harry and Ron with Flitwick's assignment and doing some research herself for Ancient Runes.

It had been a long evening. Ron had followed her through the entire library, trying to let her read his work. By the time she had finally agreed, her brown eyes had become large with confusion. Ron's entire paper had consisted out of three words, his own name and the name of the spell.

Hermione had rolled her eyes before she gave him a lecture about the importance of taking your studies seriously.

Ron had nodded a few times while looking a bit sheepishly at his parchment. Eventually Hermione couldn't take it any longer, she had grabbed a piece of paper and had started scribbling a few notes before she handed it to Ron.

From that moment he had remained silent for the rest of the evening. And by the time Madam Pince announced that the library would close, Hermione had finished her own assignment and had corrected those of Ron and Harry.

It was safe to say that she was exhausted.

At this moment she craved for the warm and comfortable feeling her bed would offer her.

With a sigh of relief she pulled the red sheets aside and slipped into her bed.

" Finally." Hermione murmured softly before closing her eyes and entering the world of sleep.

* * *

__

Quiet, dark and cold.

_That were the three words she would use to describe this night. Maybe she could throw mysterious into the mix as well._

_Hermione wrapped her cloak closer around her body, wanting to feel some sort of protection. She didn't even want to be here. She already had pictured herself curled up in her chair by the fireplace reading: ' Tales of the unexpected.' A book by one of her favourite authors; Roald Dahl._

_But after the prefects of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had complained about students still wandering through the corridors of Hogwarts after midnight and disobeying orders, professor McGonagall thought it would be a good idea to let the Head boy and Head girl patrol the corridors after midnight. McGonagall figured that with their authority they could restore the peace._

_The only problem was that the professor hadn't given further instructions. She had only mentioned that Draco and Hermione had to come up with a schedule. And of course it didn't take long before that condition had caused a new problem._

_After they had come back from McGonagall's office, they had spent the entire evening arguing about who would patrol first._

_Hermione let out a heavy sigh as she turned left, walking past the suits of armour. She could recall the conversation between her and Draco perfectly well._

_" No Malfoy."_

_" It wasn't a question Granger." Draco said matter-of -factly._

_" Well, I don't care. I'm not going first."_

_" Can't you see that I'm being a gentleman?"_

_" And how is that ?" Hermione huffed, getting frustrated by this argument._

_"Draco smirked a little before he gave his answer, " you surely know the saying: ' ladies first'."_

_She rolled her eyes at him but kept quiet, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction by answering._

_" Besides what would you possible do all night ? Weaselbee and Potterhead are busy with their girlfriends so you will be alone anyway." He stated._

_"I'm perfectly capable to take care of myself." Hermione grumbled, placing her hands on her hips._

_" Oh, so what would Granger do ?" Draco wondered aloud, " let me guess, you will be here reading a book, all by yourself. Quite pathetic don't you think?"_

_" It's not pathetic. It is instructive, a word you may not know."_

_Draco ignored her last comment and continued, " I was right...predictable. Well other than you, I have plans this evening and I'm not willing to reschedule them. You are going first end of discussion."_

_He turned around and started walking to the door before Hermione stopped him._

_" Where do you think you're going !"_

_" I told you I have plans. Have fun tonight." He grinned._

_A baffled Hermione watched him leave, realising she just lost an argument to Draco Malfoy._

_And now she was walking through the corridors of Hogwarts, trying to succeed where the prefects had failed._

_She was growing more tired with every step she took, at this moment she longed for her soft pillow and the quietness of her bedroom._

_But she had still two hours to go before she could call it a night._

_Hermione took another turn and started walking up the stairs, with still no student to be seen._

_This was becoming ridiculous. The only living soul Hermione had bumped into so far was Mrs. Norris , Filches loyal cat. And she had heard Nearly Headless Nick and Fat Friar discussing the lack of festivities at Hogwarts this year._

_But other than that, there had been no one._

_Darkness was slowly covering the corridors of the castle. A few candles were burning but the dim light didn't provide enough sight anymore._

_" Lumos." Hermione whispered, watching how the tip of her want emitted a warm glow_.

_She decided she would inspect one more hall, and then she would write her report. Satisfied with her decision, she made her way to the last flight of stairs.  
Her right foot touched the first step when she heard a rustling, coming from behind her._

_Hermione quickly spun around pointing her illuminated wand at the darkness before her. Her eyes scanned the area trying to unravel some sort of movement._

_Nothing._

_She shrugged a little, her imagination was getting the best of her. Hermione turned around again, wanting to continue her last round._

_And there it was again the same noise, this time much louder than before._

" _Hello ?" Hermione called out._

_No answer._

_She moved further into the corridor: " is someone out there?"_

_The footsteps halted for a moment, Hermione narrowed her eyes a little bit; trying to figure out who was standing before her. But it was still too dark to see and her wand didn't seem to do the trick either._

" _I don't know who you are but I do know that you are breaking the rules. So I suggest that you stop playing games and reveal yourself."_

_It went completely silent, making Hermione shiver a little. She knew that something wasn't right and she knew that she had to do something, fast._

" _Nox." She whispered quietly, taking a few steps back and still holding her wand firmly in her right hand._

_And there it was again ... footsteps._

" _I don't care who you are, I will hex you if you come any closer."_

_A laugh._

' _Enough.' Hermione thought. " Avis !" She yelled, watching how a flock of birds appeared._

_And without wasting any more time she pointed her wand once again: "oppugno!"_

_The flock of birds disappeared into the shadows, attacking, clawing and pecking the still mysterious stranger, giving Hermione the chance to run._

_How could she have missed this ? How could she not have heard someone approaching her ?_

_Many questions were swirling through her mind as she made a left turn. Questions she couldn't answer except for one ... she needed to be as far away as possible._

_It felt like she had run for hours when Hermione finally decided to glance over her shoulder.  
Darkness was all she saw._

_With a sigh of relief she leaned against the brick wall, trying to catch her breathing._

_He was gone. She had managed to get rid of him._

_She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, she was acting like an idiot. Why on earth did she run away ? She was a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake. She had proved many times before that she had courage and daring._

_Then why did she run ?_

_Hermione grimaced, she knew exactly why she did it. This person...who was consumed by the shadows.  
This person...she couldn't see, couldn't touch._

_He scared her, he made her feel powerless, out of control._  
_And it made her nervous...she didn't even know who he was and still he had so much influence on her emotions._

_She shook her head and opened her eyes, ' she wouldn't allow that to happen again.'_

_A feeling of determination washed over her. She was going to patrol all the corridors once more , she was going to find this mysterious person and drag his ass back to professor McGonagall so he could receive the proper punishment._

" _Hermione." A soft whisper called._

_Hermione swiftly turned around, she knew he was nearby but she still couldn't see him._

" _I'm not afraid of you."_

_Without making much noise, she grabbed her wand again as she moved towards his voice._

" _I wouldn't do that if I were you."_

_A rustle, footsteps ... and he was gone._

" _Come back."_

_No sound._

" _I know you are still here ... come back !"_

_Nothing._

_Hermione let out a frustrated groan, " I will take you down myself if I have to."_

" _No you will not."_

_She felt her entire body shiver when she heard the intensity in his velvet voice. But she quickly composed herself, she wasn't going to show any sign of weakness._

" _And how can you be so certain ?"_

_She didn't even have the time to react as he pulled her in his arms, dragging her to a narrow corner and away from the public eye.  
She could hear her wand falling on the stone floor._

_Hermione could feel him coming closer, placing his hands on each side of her head, pressing his body against hers, his lips merely inches apart from her lips, and she knew she was trapped._

" _Because you like the thrill of this." He whispered, slowly opening the buttons of her grey cardigan._

" _What are you doing ?" Hermione breathed desperately, trying to push his hands away but he didn't even flinch._

_Once he opened the last button, he pushed the piece of clothing from her shoulders. When he was finished with that, he moved to work on her shirt._

" _Stop it !" She called out, wriggling in his grip trying to release herself. " Stop it !"_

" _You can scream as loud as you want no one will hear you."_

_She knew that he was right. It was past midnight; everyone was sleeping peacefully in their warm beds not even aware from what was happening down in the corridors._

_But that didn't mean that she was just going to give it up, she may have lost her wand but she still had enough weapons by her side.  
So she did the first thing she could think of. She kicked him with her legs, repeating that action over and over again._

" _You are a feisty little witch." He smirked. His lips moved to her now naked shoulders, kissing every inch of it._

_Hermione blushed as she let out an involuntary moan, and she could feel him laugh against her skin._

" _I told you that you like the thrill." His hands were gently caressing her body, following the contours of her bra, making her shiver._

_He reached behind her , unclasping her bra. Without wasting any more time he moved his lips to her breasts, his tongue giving them the attention they needed._

_And Hermione had to bite her lips as she was trying to suppress a second moan. Every time his tongue graced her skin, she could feel her resentment breaking down._

_He continued his trail of kisses, his tongue running along the waistline of her skirt, making her gasp._

" _Who are you ?" She managed to breathe._

" _Don't you know ?" He asked, caressing her skin with his nose._

_Hermione could only shake her head._

" _You know me. You see me every day."_

" _Tell me your name."_

_He shook his head and smiled, " No, you will figure that out yourself. Trust me, it won't be that hard. You just have to pay attention."_

_Hermione frowned a little, her eyes still closed " I can't do this ... I don't even know you."_

_He knelt before her, his skilled hands disappearing under her skirt, teasing the inside of her thighs. Hermione could feel her knees buckle from underneath her. Her hands tangled in his hair as she tried to compose herself._

_She heard him talking, he was saying something but it sounded so far away. Focus, she needed to focus._

" _This is your dream ... you can say stop whenever you want to." He murmured as he let go of her._

" _What ?" Hermione whimpered at the loss of contact._

" _Don't worry; I will see you next time." He kissed her, devouring her soft lips._

" _But I don't even know you."_

_He smiled, " Just listen to my voice."_

_And then he was gone, leaving nothing behind as a reminder that he had been there._

_Hermione didn't move, she was still standing at the same spot, stripped from her upper wear; trying to understand what had just happened._

_She tried to calm down, closing her eyes for the umpteenth time._

' _A dream ... it was a dream.' She kept chanting in her mind._

' _Just a dream.'_

* * *

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up straight in her bed.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to concentrate and taking in her surroundings.

Hermione looked at her window, noticing that it was still dark outside and she sighed.  
It was just a dream.

She pulled her knees up to her chin so she could let her head rest on the covers and that's when she noticed that her pyjama top was unbuttoned.

She tilted her head a little, rubbing her eyes. She must have done it in her sleep, there was no other explanation.

Without fixing her pyjama top, she let herself fall back onto her pillows. It had felt so real, his hands, his lips ... it was like he had been here in her room, but of course that was just ridiculous.

It was just a dream.

And Hermione smiled as she closed her eyes again ready to go back to sleep.

It was a nice dream, and if she had to be honest with herself she really wanted to know who her mysterious stranger was .


	8. Chapter 8

_***Waves shyly* Free cookies for everyone ! As a peace offer  
No ? It's not going to work ? Alright then ... more cookies for me !**_

_**Okay, on a serious note ... I am so sorry that it took me so long to update. School was just so hectic, oh and don't forget the little writer's block I had .  
I want to thank every single reader and reviewer ! I am a little behind with answering all of you but don't worry I will get there eventually.  
So once again I thank all of you !  
And of course I want to thank my beta WisteriaBlossom1992 !  
**_

_**Now enough chitchat, the show must go on ... I proudly present to you Chapter Eight ...  
**_

* * *

˜ Chapter Eight ˜

The next time Hermione woke up beams of sunlight were already lightening up the room.  
She suppressed a yawn as she slipped out of her bed. She took a quick glance out of the window; seeing the sun shining brightly in the sky.

It promised to be a wonderful day.

Hermione gathered her clothes from the chair next to her bed, grabbed a towel from her closet and made her way to the bathroom.

There was no better way to start the day than taking a nice, relaxing bath.

Hermione gave a short knock on the door, making sure that Malfoy wasn't in there. When there was no reply, she gently pushed the door open and glanced inside; double checking if the room was indeed empty. She could never be certain.

She made her way further into the room, placing her clothes neatly on the wooden rack before she turned on the bath taps.

The room was immediately filled with a delicious scent of roses and the water turned into a wonderful colour palette, as always.

Hermione lowered herself into the bathtub, letting out a content sigh as the water tickled her skin.

In about half an hour, she would have to get up and go to the Great Hall where her friends expected her to eat breakfast with them.  
They would engage in some sort of small talk, probably about their upcoming visit to Hogsmeade.

And then Harry would smile and wave goodbye, dragging a rather nervous Ron along with him. Ginny would suppress a giggle and she would call something encouraging after her red-haired friend.

When the food would disappear from the tables, Ginny and Hermione would rise from their seats, wrap their Gryffindor scarves tightly around their necks and make their way to the Quidditch field.

Hermione smiled; her day was already perfectly mapped out . But for now, she would close her eyes and enjoy this serene moment.

She let her head rest against the edge of the bathtub , while letting the water seep through her fingers.

_She didn't know how long she had been laying there or how long she had closed her eyes. She only knew that a squeaking sound made her wake up. She slightly turned around so she was facing the door._

" _Hello ?"_

_Hermione had the annoying feeling that she had gone through the same scenario not so long ago. _ _She knew that there was someone else with her in the room. She could sense his presence._

_And it was then , that she knew that he was back again. This was how he made himself known._

" _Are you going to play that game again ?" Hermione scolded._

_When he didn't answer, she let out a loud huff; making it perfectly clear that she wasn't too thrilled with him being there._

" _Fine," she murmured, " if that's the way it's going to be ... I'm not playing so you'd better leave and find someone else to annoy."_

_He laughed, making her shiver._

" _Oh how I love that I can get under your skin that easily."_

" _Well I'm glad that one of us is enjoying himself."_

_He grinned, taking a few steps closer until his knees touched the edge of the bathtub " I am."_

_Hermione looked up, intrigued by the tone in his voice. He was wearing a black, tight T-shirt and grey trousers . Her eyes wandered upwards; eager to see what his face looked like._

_But she was left with a feeling of disappointment._

_Though the light in the room was bright enough, his face was still hidden away behind a dark shadow._

_She frowned, clearly upset._

" _Not pleased with what you see ?" He asked curiously._

" _No."_

" _That's a rather blunt answer."_

_Hermione shrugged: " it's the truth. And I don't see the point in lying."_

" _Care to explain ?"_

" _I can't see your face ... It's frustrating me that I can't figure out who you are."_

_He nodded slowly: " do you still remember what I told you last time ?"_

" _Yes , I would recognise you by your voice. But what if I don't know you ? What if I have never talked to you before ? How will I know who you are then ?"_

" _No need to worry about that. You know me quite well ..."_

"_But ..."_

" _Always with the questions." He smirked._

" _Can you blame me ?" She asked, raising her eyebrows._

"_You will figure out who I am in your own time. At this point your mind isn't ready for the truth yet."_

" _That is ridiculous."_

_He shook his head : " Just trust me."_

_Hermione didn't answer nor did she ask him anything else, she was frustrated by his cryptical responses. So she decided she would ignore him. A childish solution, but in her opinion the most logical one._

_She turned her head away from him, studying the engraved figures on the wall very carefully. She figured that if she kept this up, he might leave or disappear._

_She was wrong._

" _If you want to keep this little charade of yours going, I suggest that you cover yourself because the view that you are giving me ..." he paused for a moment " Well you might want to look for yourself."_

_Hermione quickly glanced at him : " What are you ..." and that was when she noticed that her naked body wasn't covered with soap anymore ._

_She could feel herself reddening. Here she was, trapped with someone who was driving her up the wall, with a body that was exposed for his eyes only._

_She felt vulnerable._

_Hermione shook her head. This wasn't happening; not with her and certainly not at this moment. Without hesitating any longer she stretched her arms, trying to gather some bubbles to cover herself . But before she could reach it, a hand stopped her._

_His hand._

" _What are you doing ?"_

" _Don't ."He whispered with a husky voice, " Don't try to hide yourself from me."_

" _I ..." she couldn't look away. She was mesmerized by him and he knew it._

_He took this moment to let go of her hand, and with one swift movement he leaped into the bathtub . He lowered himself into the water until he was sitting right before Hermione._

_This motion brought Hermione back to her senses, she blinked a few times before she spoke : " You are mad !"_

" _And why is that ?"_

" _Your clothes ...you're still wearing your clothes."_

_He grinned wickedly : " do you prefer it if I take off my clothes ?"_

" _Yes...I mean...No...wait...Oh Merlin." She blushed, not able to make a coherent sentence._

_He didn't seem to mind her inability to speak as he grabbed a piece of lavender soap from the edge._

" _Turn around."_

" _What ?"_

_" Turn around so you are facing the door."_

_Hermione frowned , trying to figure out if he was being serious. She eyed him closely but when he didn't flinch she let out a heavy sigh and turned around._

_She heard him move behind her, she felt how his fingers caressed the skin of her neck, gently pushing her hair aside._

_And that was when something cold touched her bare back, making her gasp aloud._

" _What are you doing ?"_

" _I'm washing you." He grinned, letting the soap move up and down her spine in slow movements._

" _Did I already mention that you are clearly insane ?"_

_He didn't answer as he continued the same motions over and over again. He lowered his head a little, placing his lips on her skin._

_After a while he released the little piece of soap, making sure that his hands were free to roam over her body._

_His eyes flickered down to her breasts; they were covered with nothing more than a few bubbles. His gaze lingered there for a moment before he moved a little closer until his body was pressed against hers._

_His hands cupped her breasts, his fingers tracing circles over each hardened peak._

_And that was it. That moment._

_Hermione couldn't take it any longer, with a soft moan she let her head fall back on his shoulder._

_With her right arm she reached out to him, pulling his face closer to her until his mouth was travelling down her neck._

_His lips never left her bare skin as his hands slowly disappeared under water. He moved his fingers teasingly over her most sensitive spot._

_He smirked as he felt her move against him, urging him to go further._

" _Oh Merlin," a small whimper escaped her , " why am I doing this."_

" _You can always tell me to stop." His mouth travelling along her collarbone._

_How hard Hermione tried, she couldn't do it ... she couldn't say the words. She didn't want to lose this feeling so instead she let her hips rock back and forth, trying to let him know what she want._

_She needed him._

" _No, I can't stop." She breathed heavily._

" _What is holding you back ?" He asked curiously, pressing his fingers harder between her legs._

" _Me." She almost screamed out._

_And with that the feeling was gone._

_Hermione felt dizzy and confused as she turned around , noticing that there was no one sitting behind her._

_He was gone._

_He just left her without a word, without a sound._

_He left her with a desire only he could fulfil._

_She felt cold.  
_

* * *

Her eyes snapped open when a cold breeze swept across the room. Hermione looked around, noticing that the door was slightly ajar.

'Maybe...' she thought ' maybe it wasn't a dream after all.'

Hermione quickly stood up and wrapped a towel around her body before she made her way to the door; pushing it further open.

She peered inside, hoping ...wishing ...

Empty.

She frowned as she stepped further into the common room. Everything was still as she left it last night. Her book was still laying on the couch; opened at page 125, parchments were spread across the small wooden table and a grey cardigan along with a Slytherin tie was laying on the floor.

But that was all.

There was no one else in this room ... no mystery man.

Hermione sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. Of course there was no one else in the room with her. She was alone.

Her imagination was running wild, that was the only logical explanation.

' Enough. ' She thought, and with a firm tread she walked back into her bedroom. She was planning to forget everything that had happened in the past 20 minutes.

No tension ...

No fantasies ...

No dreams ...

It was all just a bad memory.

* * *

Hermione was late , very late and she knew it from the moment she stepped into the corridor. She had lost track of time, if it wasn't for that dream she would be ...

No no no ... she wasn't going to think about it or talk about it and surely she wasn't going to blame the dream for her lateness. It was her own fault, if she had kept her focus there wouldn't be any problem ... end of story.

And now she was running to the Great Hall. She could hear a few students calling after her : " don't run in the hallways or I'm obliged to take away a few house points."

_" This is against the rules !" ..._

Hermione knew that they were mocking her but she chose to ignore it. She wouldn't react to such an idiotic display.

She was about to take a left turn when something hard slammed against her body, a loud thud could be heard when she felt onto the floor.

" Merlin." Hermione grumbled, trying to get back on her feet. With a slightly confused expression on her face, she looked around until she saw the reason that had caused her to fall on the floor.

" Luna !" She said ," I am so sorry, I didn't see you."

With a dreamy smile gracing her lips, Luna stood up and held out her hand to help Hermione up. " That's quite alright Hermione. Wrackspurts can do that to you."

Hermione frowned a little upon hearing that, " Wrackspurts ?"

" Oh yes, quite nasty invisible creatures if you ask me. They float into your ear, making your brain go fuzzy. You are surrounded by them."

" Uhm ...well...yes..." Hermione didn't even know how to respond to this without hurting Luna's feelings so she decided to search for something to change the subject.

And that's when she finally noticed it.

" You are wearing your Lion hat." She stated, " Are you going to support for Gryffindor ?"

" Indeed." Luna answered, making her hat roar in approval.

" You do know they are playing against Ravenclaw ? Don't you want to support for your own house ?"

The blonde girl nodded " Oh but I am. I am showing my support for my house and classmates." She opened her cloak, showing her blue and bronze coloured sweater with in the middle a large, beautiful stitched-on Eagle," And for my friends." With that she pointed to her hat.

Hermione smiled " That's really clever Luna. So I guess I will see you at the game?"

" Yes. I was just on my way to meet Neville at the Gryffindor stand. "

" Alright then, I will see you there." Hermione said, as she turned around ready to continue her way.

" Oh Hermione, watch out for those Wrackspurts." Luna warned before her dreamy gaze returned.

" I will."

And with that the two friends parted ways.

* * *

" Blimey, Hermione. Where have you been ?" Ron exclaimed when Hermione finally reached the table.

She rolled her eyes a little as she sat down, " A good morning to you too."

"It's nearly noon."

" I am well aware of that." Hermione answered as she took a sip from her pumpkin juice, " Now I hope you are not too nervous ? Because there is no reason to be, you will do great. You both will."

Ron smiled, that's why he loved Hermione. She could be annoyed with him but still encouraged him to do good.

Harry grinned as he rose from his seat, pulling Ron along with him " Thank you Hermione." He lowered his head a little so he could give Ginny a quick peck on her cheek, " We will see you after the game."

Ginny blushed as she watched them leave " Make us proud !" And when the boys were out of sight she quickly turned around so she was facing Hermione.

" Don't you miss playing Quidditch ?"

The red-haired girl was taking slightly off guard as she was not expecting that question. " Of course I do but I'm still recovering from a few scars I received during the war and as long as I'm not completely healed, I am not going to endanger my future as Quidditch player for Holyhead Harpies."

" You have your whole future mapped out, don't you ?" Hermione smiled.

Ginny only nodded, she didn't want to have this conversation right now, she had something more urgent to ask.

"I mean I also know how I want my future to be but still I..." Hermione didn't even have the chance to finish her sentence as Ginny impatiently interrupted her.

" Why were you late today ?"

" I..."

" And don't you dare lie to me Hermione Jean Granger."

Hermione shook her head:" don't expect something spectacular Ginny, I overslept."

"Well that's a first."

" What do you mean ?"

Ginny shrugged a little, " You are always very punctual, in all these years that I've know you, you have never been late. So what caused it ?"

" I –" she thought about it for a second, " – had a dream."

"I am intrigued, tell me more."

" It was just a nightmare, I don't remember it but I do know it was a very bad dream."

" I see." Ginny nodded before she let out a small laugh, " Maybe you need to stop reading before you go to bed, it seems to affect your mind and sleep."

Hermione laughed along with her friend " Maybe I do."

After that both girls rose from their seats and made their way to the Quidditch pitch where they were joined by Neville, Luna, Lavender and Seamus.

The stands surrounding the pitch were decorated differently for the Quidditch match. The colours of gold, red, bronze and blue were clearly presented. Students of Huffelpuf had chosen between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw , already yelling a few encouragements.

And then there were the students of Slytherin, who noticeably had chosen to support against Gryffindor.

_" Weasley is our king !_"A few of them chanted loudly.

Back in one of the gold and red stands, Lavender was starting to get furious. " Why do they keep singing that ridiculous song ?"

Ginny shrugged a little as she glanced at the stand next to theirs : " Just ignore them. They are trying to make us angry."

"They are doing a great job, I must say." Lavender fumed.

"He always lets the Quaffle in !"

Now it was Hermione who was trying to calm Lavender down. " They just want attention, nothing to be upset about. Enjoy the game."

It was remarkable to see how much Hermione and Lavender had changed towards each other. Of course they would never be great friends but they tolerated one another. There was even some sort of mutual respect between them.

" I know, but it's just so frustrating."

"Never react to such a childish display." Neville repeated wisely.

A whistle could be heard. A sign that Madam Hooch had officially started the game.

The frustrations were soon forgotten as every student in the area kept a close watch on the players.

" Come on Dean ! You call yourself a chaser ? Keep that Quaffle under control ! " Seamus yelled loudly.

Dean looked at his friend for a moment before he called something to Jimmy Peakes, the beater for Gryffindor.

Not even a minute later, a Buldger flew past Seamus' ear. Still a little baffled, he was just in time to see how Dean gave the Beater's bat back to Jimmy.

" Right mate, I understand... not another word is coming from me."

The players were focussed; flying across the field and never losing sight of their opponents . The tension increased.

Ravenclaw students encouraged their keeper, Grant Page who was seemingly looking a bit defeated when Demelza Robins scored by sending the Quaffle through the middle ring.

Gryffindor took the lead by seventy points.

Slytherin students took this moment as an opportunity to sing once again :

_"Weasley cannot save a thing,_  
_He cannot block a single ring,_  
_That's why Slytherins all sing :_  
_Weasley is our king."_

" Ignore them Ron ! You are doing great !" Lavender yelled louder, trying to surpass the singing.

" Oh lord, Ravenclaw just performed a Parkin's Pincer !" Neville muttered.

And then in the midst of all the excitement, Cho Chang flew straight upwards with her right hand already reaching out.

Ginny's eyes grew with worry when she figured out what was happening : " Harry, she saw it ! Cho saw the Snitch!"

But Harry was already on the move; he knew that Cho was after the Snitch from the moment she made a quite jerky movement with her broomstick.

He shifted his weight a bit, so he could fly with much more speed. This was it: if he caught the small gold-coloured sphere with silver wings , Gryffindor would win.

One step closer to the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup.

Cho and Harry were flying side by side, both wanting to succeed.

Just a little bit closer …

And then it was all over. Students were euphoric; laughing and celebrating.

Some Ravenclaw players shook their fist in the air as a sign of victory, others hugged each other.

" We lost." Hermione stated as she watched how Ron and Harry shook the hands of the opposite team. Even though both boys tried to hide it; it was very clear that they were crushed.

" I'm looking forward to an evening full of complaining and analysing." Lavender added sarcastically.

" Leave him with Harry in the common room and let them sulk together." Ginny commented.

" Maybe we should go to them." Seamus suggested as he was already leaving the stand. Lavender and Neville nodded as they followed him.

Luna let her lion roar one last time before she made her way through the crowd.

Ginny and Hermione were walking a few feet away from them; talking about the Quidditch match ... well Ginny was doing all the talking, Hermione was just listening, occasionally murmuring something in agreement.

They were almost at the field when they heard voices behind them.

" Look who we have here ...Granger and Weasley. On your way to join the loser team ?" Blaise grinned as he took a few steps closer.

" Participating is more important than winning." Hermione commented dryly.

" Only a true loser would say that."

Ginny growled loudly : " I would rather be a loser than a pathetic idiot."

" What did you just call me ?" Blaise sneered , " I dare you to repeat it."

" With pleasure ..."

But before Ginny could say another word, Hermione pulled her away. " I thought you were the one who said to just ignore them. I suggest you follow your own advice."

"But this is completely differently situation. I am defending the honour of us Gryffindors."

Hermione smiled when she saw how passionate Ginny was about this. " I know you are. But sometimes the best way to hurt someone is just to ignore them."

Without waiting for her friend to respond Hermione started to walk away, still pulling Ginny along with her.

" Oh –" Pansy called after them, her voice was filled with amusement when she continued "- would you look at that Draco dear, They can't even handle a small argument and they call Blaise pathetic."

Both Gryffindor girls turned around, seeing how Pansy, who was clinging to Draco's arm, approached them.

" Make sure to let the other Weasley know that he is indeed our king." Draco taunted.

And then it seemed like time stood still.

Hermione stood there. Frozen and completely numb as the reality of it swept over her.

That voice, it was ... No it couldn't.

She must have heard it wrong ... Of course that would be it. She was confusing reality with her fantasies.

Because there was no possible way that he...the idea alone was just preposterous.

" Oi Granger, stop staring at me. Your eyes are starting to pop out" Draco said harshly, bringing Hermione back to her senses.

She blinked a few times, her face paled with every second that passed. No no no, this wasn't happening. This couldn't be true.

There was no more denying as she heard him speak once again. And without saying another word Hermione turned around and ran towards the Castle.

" Hermione ! Where are you going ?" Ginny called after her; sounding panicky.

But she didn't respond, she blocked out the laughter coming from the Slytherins who found her sudden departure quite hilarious.

She didn't care, all of it didn't matter at this moment so she kept running.

Only one thought crossed her mind.

It was him.

* * *

_**Yes ! *throws fist in the air* Chapter eight is completely finished , done, finito ...**_

_**Once again I am so sorry for the long wait, I hope it was worth it.**_

_**So if there is still someone out there, reading this story ...please review and let me know what you think * twinkle eyes***_


	9. Chapter 9

˜ Chapter Nine ˜

Hermione ran as fast as she could; her heart racing in her chest. She was trying to process everything that had happened in the past ten minutes.

But somehow she couldn't wrap her mind around it. How could she dream of such a person.

' _Password.' _Salazar Slytherin called out impatiently.

Hermione looked up with a startled expression, written all over her face. Her feet had carried her to the Heads' dorm without her even realising it.

'_Are you deaf !'_

' I ...Uhm...' Oh darn it. How could she not remember the password. This was not like her, she always knew every single password by heart.

Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously, several possibilities crossed her mind; some even more ludicrous than the others.

She could hear Salazar tapping his feet against the frame of his painting; humming an old Wizard melody Hermione didn't know.

' _I am waiting Miss Granger. I don't have all day.'_

' _Wattlefish !' _Hermione blurted out, earning mocking laughter.

'_Wattlefish ?' _ Salazar scoffed, 'a_las , I must inform you that your so-called password is incorrect. '_

Hermione looked at him, her brown eyes scanning his face. She didn't miss the delight written in his eyes.

This was too much, she couldn't handle both the knowledge that Malfoy was her mysterious dream man and the stubbornness of Salazar Slyhterin.

Hermione took a deep breath : " I'm sorry I must have forgotten the password."

' _Apparently'_

She ignored his witty remark and continued.

" But you know who I am. I've been walking through these doors for a month now, I never caused any problems. So for once, can't you make an exception?"

' _Are you really that naive ? Did you really think that your pity party would work with me ?'_

" I wasn't trying ..."

He shook his head, not trying to hide the sarcastic grin that was gracing his lips. _' Of course you were. I can see it in your eyes.' _He paused for a moment, '_I have you all figured out Miss Granger.'_

Hermione didn't say a word, she knew that he was trying to get under her skin. He never accepted her as a worthy Head Girl. She was just a pathetic person, who should be sent back to where she belongs.

And she wouldn't give him the satisfaction by responding.

Salazar didn't even seem to care : _ ' you act innocently. Fooling anyone who crosses your path. But you will never fool me ! You don't belong here and you never will. You are a dirty smudge in this world, a smudge that needs to be erased._" He paused for a brief moment, trying to gauge her reaction.

" Why are you doing this ?" Hermione on the other hand was trying not to show any of her emotions. His words hurt but she refused to let him see her tears.

' _I'm just pointing out the obvious. If it were my decision you and your breed would be sent to Azkaban ... a place worthy for your standards.'_

She stared at him, her eyes glazing with anger. " It seems to me that I'm capable and worthy enough to gain the position of Head Girl, a function that wasn't even considered to be given to a pure-blooded Slytherin student. How do you explain that ?"

' _Mistakes are bound to happen.'_

" With all due respect sir, but you are a bitter, narrow-minded painting who just needs to accept that his glory days are over and that nothing is the same anymore. The wizard world has changed , and so need you."

Hermione breathed heavily as she finished her sentence. She felt conflicted, but she was glad that she had finally voiced her frustrations to Salazar Slytherin, she was also appalled that she had spoken in such a disrespectful manner towards a founder of Hogwarts.

Salazar, his face turning red with rage, opened his mouth. No Mudblood was allowed to speak to him like that.

But before the words could leave his mouth another voice interrupted him.

' _Salazar is that you ?' _Godric Gryffindor called from the distance.

' _What are you doing here ?' _Salazar responded briskly .

Hermione saw how the founder of Gryffindor appeared into the frame, smiling brightly at the man standing next to him.

' _Do I need to remind you that this is also my painting.'_ Godric gave Salazar a quick pat on the back before he turned his attention towards Hermione. _' Ah Miss Granger how nice to see you. I must apologise for my absence I was engaged in a rather amusing discussion with ...my dear are those tears that I see?'_

Hermione didn't even realise that she was crying until Godric mentioned it to her . Without any hesitation she brushed away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

How did this happen ?

With a frown she looked back up at the painting of Godric Gryffindor. He was still staring at her with a confused expression on his face; waiting for an answer. Hermione's eyes shifted briefly towards Salazar Slytherin, who was looking sullenly at her with his arms crossed.

She hesitated for a moment.

"I just have a bad day sir, it is quite silly of me to cry over something ridiculous." Hermione gave him a weak smile.

'_Now now, if it was truly ridiculous you wouldn't be crying. It takes courage to show someone your tears, your weakness.'_ Godric said with compassion in his voice. _'If you need to talk, I will be here to listen.'_

" Thank you. But today I only realised that some people are only around to deliberately bring you down. You know, everyone always tells you that words are

just words but I can say that everyone who tells you that is a liar. Words are a powerful weapon , you can use it for good or you can use it to give someone

the final push over the edge. And sadly most people use it for the latter. They think that they are better,more sophisticated, but in reality they are the ones who are beneath you , they are the weak ones."

After the words had left her mouth , Hermione felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She hadn't been talking to Godric, her words had been directed to Salazar .

And it seemed as if Godric had finally made the connection because he turned towards his fellow founder with fury in his eyes.

'_What did you do ?'_

'_Excuse me ?'_

' _Do not play games with me Salazar Slytherin ! I'm asking you one last time : what did you do ?'_

He shrugged a little :_' she forgot the password. So I thought it was only fair to deny her access.'_

' _And why is that, Salazar ? We all know that the students didn't know the new password, that's why it is our duty to give it to them before they want to enter the room.'_

' _And how was I suppose to know that our dear Head Girl didn't get the privilege to know her own password in advance.'_

Godric shook his head in disbelief. _' Everyone is equal, no privileges are given. You should know that.'_

' _I couldn't take the risk ...if she was a...' _Salazar abruptly closed his mouth, not saying another word.

A silence dawned upon the corridor. The unspoken words of Salazar Slytherin lingered in the air.

Hermione saw how Godric Gryffindor slightly turned his head towards her, for a brief moment she held her breath waiting for what was about to come.

' _Miss Granger, the new password is Pumpkin Tree as a reference to Halloween. You may enter the room.'_

And without wasting any more words the portrait of the founders swung open, revealing the Head boy and girl's common room.

Hermione murmured a quick 'thank you' before stepping inside, closing the portrait behind her. She could still hear the arguing voices of the two men.

With a heavy sigh she let her head rest against the brick wall. Many thoughts were swirling around in her head.

How could everything go so terribly wrong today ?

She didn't even care about Salazar's little outburst anymore, she was used to that sort of name calling though she never thought a founder of Hogwarts would stoop so low.

If a war couldn't change the mind of some people on the matter of Mudbloods than nothing would.

Hermione shook her head and pushed herself off the wall.

No. Those words didn't bother her so much. Something else was clouding her mind.

How was it possible that Draco Malfoy was the man who lifted her dreams to a whole new dimension ?

How can he be the one who makes her feel so helpless , speechless ?

And most of all, how come she wants him so badly ?

Hermione came to an abrupt halt . She didn't just think that... No that was impossible.

She could feel how her face grew paler. She needed to end this before she would do something ridiculous and couldn't go back anymore.

There was only one thing to do.

She had to avoid Malfoy as much as possible and she would start right away.

The first thing Hermione decided to do, was to go talk to professor McGonagall and ask her permission to move back into the Gryffindor Tower. If she needed to give an explanation, she would give a logical one : Malfoy is an awful person to live with.

She went into her bedroom and opened her closet.

' Accio trunk.'

The large trunk , standing in front of her bed, started to move towards her and stopped right at her feet.

Quickly she placed her clothes and books inside it. The sooner she was gone, the better.

After she was done, she grabbed the handle and carried the now heavy trunk outside.

Still a few steps and she would be free from the dreams.

Once again , she stopped.

She was running away. There were no other words for it ... she was running away like a coward.

If she would walk out of this room , Malfoy would feel like he had defeated her .

Without any reason Hermione burst out laughing. For Goderic's sake , what was she thinking ?

She looked at the trunk on the floor while tears of laughter were rolling down her cheeks. She was acting dramatic. It were only dreams.

Agreed, it were quite disturbing dreams but nothing more.

She would just grab her trunk and put everything back where it belonged.

Hermione grabbed the handle for the second time that day but before she could turn around and go back to her room she heard how the portrait swung open.

" Well well, who do we have here ?" Draco smirked as he stepped further into the room, " Runaway Granger, I see."

She sighed heavily.

" I have nothing more to say to you or your entourage."

" Entourage ? Fancy choice of words."

Hermione shook her head, trying not to lose her patience : " if you are only here to mock, I suggest you should leave."

" And I suppose you are coming with me ?" Draco grinned.

" What ?"

" The trunk"

Hermione frowned as her hands wandered to the trunk she was still holding. "I wasn't going anywhere ... I was just ...uhm ... doing my laundry."

Confusion was written all over Draco's face : " laundry ? You are talking gibberish woman !"

Suddenly a wicked smile appeared around Draco's lips as he saw how Hermione was trying to avoid any eye contact: " I think you were trying to leave."

" Don't act so ridiculous Malfoy ! I told you what I was doing, now leave me alone."

" I don't believe you." He stretched out his words, long enough to make sure she knew he meant it. " I think you were trying to run."

Hermione swallowed nervously : " and why would I do that."

Draco moved closer :" I haven't figured out that part just yet."

She felt like the room was starting to get smaller with the minute, and the air around them started to get thicker.

Breathe, just breathe.

Focus Hermione. Don't show any sign of fear. Don't let him get under your skin.

And for Merlin's sake stop staring at him !

Hermione blinked a few times and gave a small cough, trying to compose herself.

" You are a pretentious fool. I have no reason to run away. And I am not going to explain myself to you."

Draco took one more step until their faces were merely inches apart. His soft breathe tickled her skin.

" You are lying Granger. I don't know why. But I will find out the truth."

His grey eyes captured hers. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't look away; she was mesmerised by him.

She wanted to lean in and press her lips against his, let her hands run through his blond hair. She wanted ...

" Goodnight Granger."

And then it was all gone. She hadn't even realised that he had spoken until she saw the questioning look in his eyes.

But Draco didn't say anything, he just shrugged and stepped away from her, going back to his room.

When Hermione heard the door closing behind him, she finally dared to move.

One question kept repeating itself in her mind.

_What had just happen ?_

* * *

_**No , I haven't abandon this story ... I just was kinda busy with school which was pretty hectic these couple of months .**_

_**Oh yeah, from now on things will be heating up if you know what I mean ;)  
**_

_**Once again I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and put this story on alert or favourite it :) It means a lot to mean.  
**_

_**And of course many thanks to my wonderful beta WisteriaBlossom1992 ( if you have the time make sure to check out her stories)  
**_

_**Until next time :)  
**_


	10. Chapter 10

˜ Chapter Ten ˜

_It was a cold autumn night. The rain was tapping violently against the window frames._

_It didn't take long before the Quidditch field and the paths to the castle were turned into puddles of mud._

_Students were rushing to be inside, wrapping their cloaks firmly around them. Some of them were holding a book above their heads as they tried to find shelter from the inclement weather._

_Only one person didn't seem to mind the cold, since the fire was protecting her from it._

_She was staring into the flames, her body tingling with expectation. Without even thinking about it she reached out her hand, wondering what would happen if she let the fire consume her._

_A wicked smile graced her lips._

'_Consume me ?' She thought, pondering over the meaning of the word. ' What would that be like? Would I lose control?'_

_Maybe a change was good, maybe she needed it ... a change._

_And as quickly she formed the thought in her head, she disposed it._

_She was acting absurd._

" _What are you doing ?"_

_Her entire body tensed._

_How could just a voice have this kind of effect on her ?_

" _Ignoring me, I see." She could hear his smirk seeping through his words. She imagined how he would be standing behind her. His arms crossed against his chest as_

he leaned against the nearest brick wall. His grey eyes fixed on her even though he knew she couldn't see him, he knew she felt it.

" _I know who you are."_

_Her words lingered in the air. And she waited, waited for him to respond. But when the silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity, she thought he was gone._

_Slowly she turned around, expecting to see nothing but emptiness._

_She was wrong._

_She could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest and she was vaguely aware that her mouth had become dry._

"_Don't act so surprised. You already know who I am."_

"_You can't blame me for hoping that I would be wrong, Malfoy." Hermione whispered, studying him closely._

_Draco shook his head, his smile never left his lips as he walked towards her._

"_I told you that you weren't ready for the truth."_

_Hermione snorted a little, her bright brown eyes never leaving his grey ones, " And what kind of truth would that be ?"_

_He waited for a moment, kneeling in front of her before he spoke,"That you want me, Granger."_

_She was baffled. There was no other word to describe how she felt at that moment. How did he dare to be so arrogant._

_And even though she knew he was wrong, she couldn't look at him; his stare was too intimidating._

"_Stop."_

"_I am only telling the truth."_

"_No. You are not. You are assuming things, just to boost your arrogant ego." Hermione struggled to keep her voice normal and he knew it._

"_Admit it Granger. It would make your life so much easier." Draco teased, his fingers caressing her cheek. " I am your deepest desire."_

_With one swift movement Hermione slapped away his hand, "Stop saying those things! I don't want you! In fact, the only thing that I want is for you to leave."_

"_Bullocks !"_

_She could feel her skin turning into a deep shade of red as anger took over. "How dare you ..."_

_Draco didn't wait for her to finish her sentence as he stood up and spoke, "Stand up."_

"_What ?"_

" _Stand up."_

_When she still didn't move, he lifted her from her seat; ignoring her protests along the way._

"_Why are you doing this ?" Hermione asked. She felt her knees trembling as she noticed how his eyes turned darker until they resembled the colour of the night._

"_I want to prove my point."_

" _Enough Malfoy! Stop these charades. This isn't you. This isn't even realistic, it's all just a dream."_

_Draco shook his head; never losing his patience, "You never took the time to meet the real me."_

_That short sentence, those words, held so much emotions in them that it almost felt real. Hermione looked at him, not really knowing what to expect._

_Was it true? Had she been so clouded by her earlier judgement of him that she couldn't see past all of his mistakes? Had he changed?_

_Was he just as vulnerable and hurt as she was after the war?_

_He did seem to be a changed man ... Maybe..._

_No!_

_This time it was Hermione's turn to shake her head, " This is wrong ! These feelings I have ... It needs to stop !"_

"_It can't stop until you finally give in."_

"_I can't ! Don't you understand? You are Draco Malfoy. You are the person I have to hate ... it ...it doesn't make sense ..."_

_Hermione couldn't speak anymore as Draco pressed his soft lips against hers; preventing her to say something she might regret later on._

_At first the kiss was gentle, as his hands were tangled in her brown hair. Hermione surprised herself as her own hands slid under his white buttoned shirt._

_A sudden urge rushed through her and no matter how hard she tried to fight it, she couldn't stop it anymore._

_She wanted Draco in ways she couldn't explain. She needed to feel his bare skin on hers, she wanted to feel his arms wrapped securely around her._

_Their kiss quickly intensified as her lips moved against his slowly._

_Hermione didn't notice that Draco had lifted her up and had carried her to his bedroom until she felt the satin sheets underneath her body._

"_Malfoy." She whispered softly._

_He smiled at her, accepting the fact that she wasn't ready to use his first name, "Don't speak."_

_Draco didn't waste any more time and set himself to work on the buttons of her white shirt. As he unbuttoned the shirt, he laid soft kisses on the newly exposed skin_

of her chest. He gently lowered it off her arms, throwing it carelessly on the ground.

_Hermione watched his eyes intently, finding herself blushing because of the way he was looking at her._

"_Red is a beautiful colour on you." He teased before he lowered his head to the crook of her neck._

_As she felt his soft lips on her bare skin she let out a moan in approval, her fingers running through the hairs at the nape of his neck._

_Draco's hands made their way to her bare back, unclasping her black bra before slowly pushing the straps of it down her arms and tossing it onto the floor._

_Hermione felt vulnerable, exposed and without thinking about it, she started searching for something to cover herself. Something that would make her disappear._

"_Hermione, look at me." His voice was soothing as he spoke to her. "You are beautiful."_

_She waited for a moment, trying to ignore the lump in her throat. No one had ever said those words directly to her._

"_You are so different." She was smiling as their lips re-connected. As they continued to kiss, Hermione started to let her hands move towards the white shirt Draco was still wearing._

_She tore her lips away from his and started to unbutton it, leaving soft kisses on his bare chest._

_After she had tossed his shirt aside, her hands moved lower until she reached the waistband of his grey trousers._

_Hermione unbuckled his belt, pushing his trousers down his legs until his boxers were fully exposed to her._

"_Green and Silver," She grinned, " Very original."_

_Draco laughed a little but didn't respond as his hands started to remove her skirt, kissing her hip bones along the way._

_Without thinking about it Hermione lifted the lower half of her body, allowing him to slide her pleated skirt down her legs and ankles._

"_How is it that I never saw before how beautiful you are ?" Draco questioned himself as he looked at her. Her brown curls sprawled over his pillow, her cheeks red from blushing._

_He slowly removed his boxers, landing on the ground with a soft thud. After that he hooked his fingers around the waistband of her underwear, sliding it down her legs._

_There was no turning back now._

_He lowered his head once again, his lips on her collarbone, following a path down the valley of her breasts._

"_Are you ready ?"_

_Hermione nodded, biting her lips nervously for what was about to come._

_His hands found hers and he laced their fingers together, it was his way to try to calm her down, reassure her that everything would be okay._

_Brown eyes met grey ones as they gazed at each other while he positioned himself at her entrance, gently guiding himself inside of her._

_His thrusts started out slow, their kisses more passionate._

_She allowed herself to wrap her legs around his hips and let go of his hands as his lips started to trail a path down her collarbone._

_The sensation, the feelings ... it was so overwhelming._

_Hermione let out a low moan, her hands grabbing the sheets beneath her, her grip tightening._

_Draco's thrusts became faster, more frantic._

"_Kiss me."_

_And he obeyed instantly, his lips moving lazily against hers, swallowing each other's moans. Draco continued thrusting into her and she lifted her hips off the bed to meet his every thrust._

_She could feel her legs tightening around him and she knew that she was close._

_She closed her eyes, savouring the moment as she moaned loudly, her walls tightening around him._

_Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck, her fingers ran through his sweat – soaked hair._

_He was still kissing every piece of her body as she was still moving against him. It didn't take long before her erratic thrusts brought him to his own release._

_They laid there for a while. His head resting against her bare chest as she softly stroke his hair._

_Their breathing slowly turned back to normal._

" _Hermione ?" Draco asked with a hoarse voice, lifting himself on his elbows so that he could look at her properly. " Are you okay ?"_

_Hermione smiled at him, " I am perfectly fine."_

_He kissed her lips once again, noticing that her eyes never left him as he lay down beside her._

"_What ?" He chuckled._

"_You are so different from the Draco I know. You are sensitive and caring. I don't really want to wake up knowing that it was all a dream."_

" _Wake up and get to know me ... the real me that is. You will see that I'm not so bad after all. You just need to open your eyes."_

* * *

And then it was all gone.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. With a loud sigh, she realised that she was still in the common room. She had fallen asleep on the couch.

She slowly lifted her head, seeing that a pair of grey eyes were staring right back at her.

With a yelp, she launched herself further into the couch. "Malfoy !"

"Did you sleep well, Granger?" He purred, looking at her shocked expression.

"How long have you been sitting there?"

Draco shrugged a little, his grin never leaving his lips, "Long enough to hear you moan in pleasure. That must have been quite an interesting dream."

Hermione could feel herself blushing, "That is none of your business."

"Never knew you had it in you, Granger."

"Stop it !"

"Who was the bloke you were dreaming about? I bet it was that Weasel."

Hermione stood up, she needed to get out of this room.

"No ? Well then it must have been Potterhead."

She made her way to her own room, still ignoring everything Draco was saying.

"Have pleasant dreams, Granger." Draco called after her, still laughing loudly, before she closed the door behind her.

How could she face him now? How could she look at him without imagining his bare chest against hers? His lips against her skin?

Hermione buried her head into her pillow.

When had everything gotten so complicated?

* * *

**Here I am ... once again. Mmmh I'm starting to sound like a Kelly Clarkson song ( Oh well)**

**So Here you go I present to all of you Chapter Ten ( I know it took a while but in my defense it was a lot faster than the previous one)**

**I would like to thank my wonderful beta WisteriaBlossom1992 ( you worked your magic on this one )  
**

**And of course a BIG thank you for all those who reviewed : Ob33yTiTi, Night Air, Candell, DobbyTheElf7 ( I gracefully accept that cookie), Sweetsohoa ( You asked I deliver ;) )**

**And many, many thanks for those who put me or my story ( or both) on fav / alert !**

**I hope you liked this chapter ...let me know :) **

**ps : I'm already working on Chapter Eleven**


	11. AN

**Hi !**

I am so sorry for everyone who expected this to be a new chapter.

First off I want to say thank you to all my readers and reviewers ... you guys are the reason I keep writing.

Secondly ... No , I'm not going to abandon this story or put it on hiatus.

So now you are wondering _' If she isn't going to do that then why is she writing this A/N ? '_

Well, I want to explain to you why it's taking so long to post the next chapter.

Okay here we go ...

A few weeks ago my cousin passed away. It came as a shock to me and my entire family and we are still trying to process everything.

I hope you can understand that writing wasn't really my first priority the past few days.

But now I am wrapping up the next chapter and will be posting it after my beta takes a look at it.

Once again I am really sorry.

In the main time feel free to read my Dramione one-shot '_ A crimson Nightmare'_ or my other story _' Music for love'_

**Until next chapter !**

**X MoonlightRose1992**

_( I will remove this A/N once the next chapter is posted)_


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